


Lucky (I'm in love with my best friend)

by orphan_account



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-24
Updated: 2016-09-23
Packaged: 2018-08-16 23:46:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 63,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8122258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Alex and Tobin are best friends on and off the pitch. With meddling teammates (i.e. Kelley), the spotlight, and the World Cup on the line, will these two figure it out? (Hint: they do.)ORAlex and Tobin are basically in love.Harry Potter marathons are had.Mario Kart is as competitive as soccer games.And Kelley really just wants her best friends together.





	1. Chapter 1

**Note: This is a repost of Lucky (I'm in love with my best friend). When I tried to orphan some fics I accidentally deleted this one because I'm technologically challenged. Sorry about that! And I believe the other stories in the series are still under the Can't help falling in love (with you).**

“GOOOOAAALLLLL!”

“And that’s game!” yells Jill, blowing her whistle.

Alex smiled and ran towards Tobin, who was also grinning from ear to ear, and jumped into her already outstretched arms.

“You were on fire today Lex!” shouted Tobin, spinning her around. Alex grinned and opened her mouth to respond when she felt a weight on her back and looked up to see Kelley had joined in on the hug. 

“Yes! Winner winner chicken dinner!” shouted Pinoe, who had also ran towards the group of excited teammates.

“Yeah, yeah,” said Abby, walking past their group nodding her head but with a grin on her face. “I cannot believe I am going to sit through ANOTHER night of Harry Potter. Just because Tobin loves it doesn’t mean I want to watch it every other night of this camp.”

Tobin stuck her tongue out as Alex giggled, wrapping her arm around Tobin’s waist as Tobin’s arm slung over Alex’s shoulders. 

“Fair’s fair,” said Alex, grinning. “Winners get to pick the movie.”

“Besides, we’ve already watched the first six! Don’t you want to see how it ends??” asked Megan, as Kelley, Tobin and Alex nodded their heads furiously in agreement.

“How is it Tobin keeps ending up on the winning team every movie night??” asked Sydney, joining the small group of teammates near the bench. 

“The better question is how come every time Tobin’s team wins she gets to pick the movie?” asked Ali, sitting next to the group, stretching her legs.

“Because,” said Ashlyn, plopping down next to Ali, “Tobs keeps getting on Baby Horse’s team and Alex has scored the winning shot in the past 3 out of 4 scrimmages and because Alex is a sucker—”

“—more like whipped—” Hope injects, to the snickers of the rest of their teammates.

“—for Tobin’s pout, we have to sit through yet another Harry Potter movie night.”

“Hey, I am not whipped,” protested Alex, sticking out her tongue at the others and crossing her arms. “I just happen to love my best friend who coincidentally loves Harry Potter.”  
“Aww, thanks Lex,” said Tobin, giving Alex a wink and pulling her into an exaggerated hug. “I just—*sniff*—love you soooo much,” she pretended to sob, burying her face into Alex’s neck.

“Ewww Tobin, you’re wiping your sweat all over me!” shrieked Alex, trying to escape Tobin’s grip.

“You love it!” yelled Kelley, wrapping her arms around Alex from behind and started nuzzling her face into Alex’s shoulder.

“Guys gross! Get off!” Alex exclaimed, but was failing to contain her laughter.

“Group hug!” yelled HAO, and she jumped on Tobin’s back, followed quickly by Pinoe, Cheney and A-Rod. Unfortunately, as soon as Ashlyn joined in the group fell to the group, turning the hug into more of a dog pile.

“Ok guys, up and at em’,” said Abby loudly over the group of laughing teammates. “Really, get off of Baby Horse.”

“Yeah, get off me!” Alex’s muffled voice was heard at the bottom of the pile.

“Actually, if she stays there does that mean we don’t have to watch Harry Potter tonight?” asked Carli, using a tone of voice that conveyed this was an actual possibility.

“No!” shouted a still muffled-sounding Alex.

“Honestly, Ash,” said Ali, shaking her head but laughing as she helped her girlfriend off the floor. “A child, I’m dating a child.”

One by one the other members of the team stood up until it was just Alex on the ground. “Ugh, one of you smells like you just practiced for hours.”

“We did just practice for hours,” said Sydney. “Now what time is this movie night? Can it be after we eat dinner?”

“Yes, yes,” said Hope. “After dinner. Can we all collectively get on the bus now? I need to shower before dinner.”

“But you still smell real puuuurty,” said Kelley, batting her eyelashes in an exaggerated way.

Hope’s mouth twitched upward for a second. “Yeah, I know. That was a subtle hint that the rest of you definitely need to shower before I’m forced to sit next to you all at dinner.”

“Solo’s got jokes! It’s the end of the world!” exclaimed Kelley, and started running around in circles waving her arms.

“Oh my god, everybody grab your stuff and get on the bus,” said an exasperated Abby, though she had a fond look in her eyes. The rest of the team chuckled put grabbed the rest of their practice gear and ambled off towards the bus.

“Tobs,” whined Alex, who was still lying on the ground.

“Yeeessss,” said Tobin, grinning down at her.

Alex lifted her arms in the air halfheartedly. “Help me,” she said, pouting.

Tobin rolled her eyes but obliged, reaching down and grabbing Alex’s hands to lift her up.

“Why do I put up with you,” grumbled Tobin, pulling her up.

“Because you love me,” said Alex, grinning. 

“Yeah, I do,” Tobin said, eyes sparkling.

And there it was. 

Alex’s breath hitched.

The blurring line between friendship and something more that Alex and Tobin had been toeing for the past six months. Alex knew that she felt something more for Tobin than just friendship—granted, it had taken her longer than she’d like to admit to figure it out. Her and Tobin had always been affectionate, having a close friendship with lots of lingering touches and subtle flirting. It had taken a trip to the beach, a conversation with Kelley, and an embarrassing moment of the soccer ball literally hitting her in the back of the head to knock some sense into her. 

Alex was pretty sure Tobin returned her feelings, but fear kept her from acting on it—fear of ruining their friendship, fear of it not working out and putting their teammates in an awkward position, fear of their emotional issues affecting their game (which was one of the most important points on the cons list, especially since Alex knows exactly how hard they have all worked to be here)—all these things, plus the small part of her brain telling her that Tobin might not even return her feelings, kept her from saying anything. 

Though if you asked Kelley (which Alex has honestly tried to avoid lately because ever since she confided in her, Kelley has been printing out every picture she can find of Alex and Tobin and pasting them on cut out hearts and hiding them everywhere in Alex’s stuff which like, as a professional soccer player, how does she even have time to do that, Alex keeps wondering), she says Alex is being scared of a new challenge (and since when has Alex Morgan ever backed down from a challenge, Kelley had emphasized) and that Alex should just tell her.

To which Alex usually replies with, “Maybe.”

And then Kelley scoffs and mutters something about infuriating best friends who should just give in to their feelings and bang it out, followed shortly by Kelley’s equally infuriating (as Alex points out) rendition of the bangity-bang song from How I Met Your Mother.

Alex finishes packing up her stuff and turns to find Tobin smiling at her, that beautiful smile that can often be found on Tobin’s face and coincidentally makes Alex fall a little bit more in like (not love, Alex vehemently argues with Kelley but mostly for the sake of becoming the cliché of the girl who falls in love with her seemingly straight best friend, to which Kelley is quick to point out that Ashlyn and Ali already have that cliché covered but it actually has a happy ending) with her.

“Ready for some Harry Potter trivia that you pretend to be disinterested in but secretly love?” asked Tobin, slinging her arm around Alex’s shoulders.

Alex grinned (she does that a lot in Tobin’s company, Kelley says it completes her whole puppy eyes look she’s got going on whenever she looks at Tobin, to which Alex responded by hitting Kelley with a pillow, thus starting the great pillow fight of Room 304), and wrapped her arm around Tobin’s waist again. 

As Alex and Tobin walked back to the bus, Tobin’s arm wrapped around her, Alex can’t help but wonder if she should take a chance. If something like this small act of affection feels so natural when they’re only in the friendship stage (barely, Kelley likes to point out), then being together romantically can only amplify that feeling, right?

“Hurry up, lovebirds!” yells Kelley from the steps of the bus, shit eating grin on her face.

Tobin chuckles and Alex smiles even wider, if that was even possible. She tunes back into whatever Tobin is ranting about next to her.

“…Moony! I mean, werewolf was literally in Remus’ name. I don’t see how—”

“You’re the best Tobs,” said Alex, a surge of affection rising and filling Alex’s heart (which she’ll never explain to Kelley because she is not interested in being made fun of even more than she already is, thank you very much) interrupting Tobin’s list of Harry Potter facts.

“Yeah, I know,” said Tobin, winking again at Alex and removing her arm. She jokingly sweeps her arm across her and gestures for Alex to climb up the steps to enter the bus first. “After you, mi ‘lady.”

“Also a major dork,” Alex teases. 

Tobin just grins in response, because they both know that Alex wouldn’t have it any other way.


	2. Chapter 2

“Seriously?” asked Kelley, stopping abruptly in the doorway.

“Ow—Kell—” “Why—” “Oomph—what—”

“Kelley, what the hell?” asked Ashlyn, rubbing her face where she had ran into the back of Kelley’s head. 

“Let’s maybe not stop right in the doorway,” said Lauren dryly, where she was holding the back of her head where Amy had run into her after she had run into Ali who had ran into Ashlyn—you get the idea.

“Seriously??” asked Kelley again, this time with more exasperation in her tone.

“This isn’t an episode of Grey’s Anatomy Kelley!” said Amy. “Now are you going to move so we can see why you’ve decided to create a five person pile up in the hallway?”

“I mean, seriously!” Kelley exclaimed again, ignoring her teammates behind her. 

“What?” asked Ashlyn, peering her head over Kelley’s shoulder to look into the room. “Awww.”

Lauren and Amy both jumped a bit on their toes, and were met with the confused faces of Tobin and Alex.

“Umm, what are you guys doing?” asked Alex. “Why are you hovering in the doorway?”

“Seriously,” Kelley deadpanned. The other four had smiles on their faces because the sight of Tobin and Alex together was seriously warming their hearts.

Tobin and Alex were both sitting on Alex’s bed, which isn’t unusual—but Tobin was leaning against the headboard with Alex sitting between her legs, Tobin’s arms wrapped loosely around Alex’s waist as Alex’s back was leaning against Tobin’s front. 

Tobin’s chin was propped onto Alex’s shoulder, and Alex had a book in her hands (because of course Tobin argued that she needed to quickly review the book before they watched the last movie, which in turn made Alex point out there was no way Tobin would be able to skim the entire book before the team got there, yet she still had the book propped up on her knees as Tobin’s eyes had swept over the pages). Alex had the remote to the TV next to her and the Harry Potter menu on the screen, waiting on the rest of the team to gather before hitting the play button. 

“Guys! Seriously?!?” Kelley said (more like shouted), sweeping her arm across the room, gesturing to the scene on the bed. “Are you seriously not da—mmph—”

“Ooook,” said Ashlyn, slapping her hand over Kelley’s mouth and pushing her through the doorway. Everyone else seemed to miss the exchange between Ashlyn and Tobin, the latter shooting Ashlyn a grateful look for cutting off whatever possibly (definitely) embarrassing thing Kelley was going to say.

Lauren and Amy sent all-knowing grins towards Tobin, whose ears turned a faint shade of red. Coughing, Tobin removed her grip around Alex’s waist and leaned all the way onto the headboard, hoping to create some space between the two. Fortunately for Tobin (but not from her rapidly reddening ears), Alex felt the shift and leaned back with Tobin, maintaining their closeness. Forgetting for a second that she was being observed, Tobin’s body relaxed and she resumed their former position, arms wrapped around Alex from behind as Alex relaxed into Tobin.

Kelley however, was dying on the inside. Perhaps sensing it, Lauren and Amy each took a seat on either side of her, exchanging those same knowing grins before turning to Kelley.

“Kell,” started Lauren.

“Seriously??” Kelley repeated.

“Kell, first of all, you gotta stop saying that,” said Amy, grinning.

“Secondly, just let them be. They’ll figure it out on their own,” continued Lauren, though slightly wanting to give Alex and Tobin a nudge as well. She could sense how happy her fellow New Kid was, and if she had to admit it, she felt slightly better about her decision to retire after this World Cup knowing that someone would be there for Tobin like Adam was for Amy, and Jrue was for her. The emotional support their respective partners provided for them was unparalleled, perhaps matched only by their teammates who have been on this long journey with them. Lauren knew Alex could be that for Tobin and vice versa.

“But its taking forever!” whined Kelley, who at least had the decency to lower the volume of her voice.

“It takes as long as it takes,” replied Amy, shrugging her shoulders. The three looked over to the other bed, watching as Tobin and Alex were quietly murmuring, Alex giggling as she flipped the page of the book she was still holding, both of them oblivious to the rest of their teammates filing in. 

“Good thing you two are sitting like that, more room for me!” shouted Sydney, jumping on the bed next to the two and jostling them out of their bubble. 

* *

Fitting twenty-three in one room was actually almost impossible, but with a quick call for a rollaway, some creative rearranging, and overlapping limbs, all the girls managed to find a spot to watch the movie.

As Abby turned the lights off and Alex pressed play, Tobin grinned and gave Alex a slight squeeze, pulling her in closer. 

And when Alex snuggled back into Tobin, placing her hands on top of Tobin’s and lacing their fingers together, Tobin had an overwhelming feeling to tell Alex how much she had fallen in like (not love, Tobin had told Ashlyn because duh, she loves Alex Morgan—the whole entire world does, but secretly Tobin didn’t want to cheapen it by admitting that she was actually IN love with Alex to anyone else before she told Alex) with her. Tobin feels a surge of confidence flow through her at this small act, but has to remind herself that its because the room is dark except for the glow of the television playing one of her favorite movies and now is really not the appropriate time to discuss her feelings with the object of her affection. 

Object of her affection.

Lord help her, she feels so corny just admitting that. Though she probably wouldn’t mind as much if she was in turn the object of Alex’s affection (which at this point she is like 92% sure of because yes, Alex is affectionate with everyone on the team but she doesn’t hold anybody else’s hands or linger as much on hugs or would hold a book in her lap and wait for Tobin to finish the page before she flips it because Tobin knows Alex is a faster reader than her but she waits anyways), but she’s not one hundred percent positive. Ashlyn says she’s being dumb and should just tell Alex how she feels before (she so delicately put it) the locker room explodes with the fluff and sexual tension flowing between Tobin and Alex (which, after she said that and made Tobin choke on her coffee, is when Tobin knew she should have talked to Lauren and Amy about this situation first, but Ashlyn happened to be rooming with her and has also successfully navigated a relationship with someone on the team). 

So no, Tobin didn’t say anything under the veil of darkness and sense of false confidence it provided, but she did have enough (fake, oh how she hope she’ll have the same type of strength in the daylight) courage to press a lingering kiss on the top of Alex’s head before refocusing on the movie. 

And if Alex gave her hands a light squeeze after—well, now Tobin’s 93% sure.

* *

The girls all filed out, saying good night to one another as they headed to their respective rooms. Except for Tobin, who had a sleeping Alex in her arms. 

“We’ll be talking about this later,” whispered Lauren, who gave her a wink before she and Amy left.

“I’m going to go…wash my feet,” muttered Kelley, quickly walking to the bathroom and shutting the door.

Ashlyn shook her head, knowing Kelley has many talents (though she’ll deny it to Kelley’s face), but subtly was not one of them. “I’ll see you back at the room Tobs,” she said, and her and Ali left the room, leaving Tobin and Alex on the bed.

“Lex,” whispered Tobin, hooking her chin over Alex’s shoulder to peer down at her face. Her really pretty, beautiful face that Tobin knows by heart but wishes she could trace her fingers across to memorize Alex in an entirely different way and ok she really needs to talk to someone about this before she just blurts it out. “Lex,” she said a little louder, giving her a little shake.

“Hmm,” Alex murmured, turning onto her side, her head resting on Tobin’s stomach.

“Lex, I’ve got to go back to my room now,” said Tobin, slowly trying to loosen Alex’s grip on her arm, which Alex seems to have latched onto at some point in her sleep. 

“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Tobin heard, and lifted her head to see Kelley coming out of the bathroom. Kelley walked to the other bed and grabbed her pillow and took the couple steps between the two beds until she was next to Tobin and Alex.

“Wait, Kelley don’t—”

WHACK

“WAKE UP ALEX. TOBIN NEEDS TO LEAVE AND YOU’RE ALL UP ON HER,” said Kelley loudly, hitting Alex once more in the back with the pillow.

The action made Alex shriek and roll to the other side, landing on the floor between the two beds at Kelley’s feet with a thump.

Alex groaned.

“Kelley, I’m going to kill you,” she muttered, still face down on the floor.

“Whatever. Consider this my formal pillow fight challenge throw down. You totally cheated last time.”

“I did not!”

“Yes you did!”

“How do you even cheat in a pillow fight?!”

“Right, well I’m just gonna go before I get caught in this crossfire,” said Tobin, laughing at the antics of her two best friends.

“Wait!” said Alex, sitting up, ignoring Kelley who now seemed to be listing ways Alex cheated in their last duel to the death (i.e. until Abby had thrown their door open and told them if they didn’t cut it out she would sic Hope AND Carli on them, to which they both immediately dropped their pillows).

“Yes?” Tobin asked, grinning at the sight of Alex Morgan with tangled hair and a slight pout on her face.

Alex scrambled onto the bed and sat in the middle, turned her head and lightly tapped her cheek, giving Tobin a pointed stare.

“Use your words, Lex,” said Tobin cheekily, though she knew what Alex wanted.

Alex crossed her arms with a huff, and again tapped on her cheek.

Tobin rolled her eyes and obliged, leaning over to give Alex a quick kiss on her cheek. 

Ignoring Kelley’s eye roll in favor of Alex’s beaming smile, she straightened up and headed towards the door. 

“Night Lex, night Kelley.”

“Good night!” the two called after her. The last thing Tobin heard before closing the door was Kelley picking up right where she left off, not missing a beat and letting Alex know exactly how she cheated during the last pillow fight.

“AND, you had that special neck pillow which is way harder when—”

Tobin closed the door with a slight chuckle and headed to her own room.

* *

“Well you’ve got a big smile on your face. Did you finally woman up and tell her?”

Tobin chuckled and flopped down on her bed, face down, arms splayed.

“No, Ash, I haven’t,” she said with a muffled sigh. Tobin rolled onto her side to look at Ashlyn, who had also rolled onto her side to face Tobin.

“Ok, besides the usual fears, what’s stopping you?” asked Ashlyn. “I mean, you know she loves you too—”

“—nobody said anything about love—” Tobin interrupted, but Ashlyn continued on, unperturbed. 

“—and if you guys are this happy as friends, don’t you think your happiness can only grow if you two get together for real? I mean, you’re basically a couple without the kissing and sex—”

“Ash!”

“—what? Too blunt? Ok, the horizontal tango. The dirty. The bow-chicka-wow-wow. The—”

“Ok you can stop,” Tobin said, cringing. “Just—stop.”

Ashlyn chuckled but her face adopted a more serious look. “Tobs, what are you waiting for?”

“I don’t know? I mean, I feel like maybe right now we’re in this limbo—which is really not a bad thing but…the lines of friendship blurred a long time ago. I guess I’m not exactly sure how to go about taking the next step. And whose to say she’s even interested in taking the next step?” asked Tobin, sighing.

“I say you just grab her and kiss her,” Ashlyn responded, grinning. “But in all seriousness, you guys are basically already together. Your relationship grew from your friendship, and I think that’s a beautiful thing. So however you decide to go about this, just remember that you were best friends first.”

Tobin was silent as she contemplated what Ashlyn was saying.

“How does she make you feel?” asked Ashlyn after a while.

“Like…I’ve got hummingbirds.”

Ashlyn laughed. “What the hell does that even mean Tobs?”

“Like, I have butterflies in my stomach whenever I’m around her, but the good kind. And they’re way stronger than butterflies. They’re like hummingbirds,” Tobin explained, grinning. “Hummingbirds beat their wings 70 times per second. Whenever Alex is around, it feels like I have hummingbirds in my stomach and my heart starts pounding.” Tobin sighed again. “She’s amazing.”

“Wow.”

“Right?”

“You should probably write poetry. In fact, if you could write in Ali’s next birthday card for me, that would be great.”

Tobin chuckled. “Shut up.”

“Well Tobs, I think you need to take the plunge. It’s not everyday you feel hummingbirds, huh?”

Ashlyn reached out and turned off the light, bathing the room in darkness. Tobin smiled to herself and burrowed deeper into the sheets. Maybe it was time to take a chance. She lay there, thinking of Alex and the warm, fuzzy feeling Tobin always got when she thought of her best friend. 

Hummingbirds. Tobin chuckled to herself and slowly drifted off to sleep, a smile on her face.


	3. Chapter 3

“So, did you grab Tobin’s face and make out with her yet?”

Alex choked on the smoothie she was drinking, coughing hard. Ashlyn whacked her on the back a few times until Alex caught her breath.

“Kelley!” Alex coughed out, eyes widening.

Ali handed her a bottle of water and gave Alex a few sympathetic pats on her back.

“What?” asked Kelley, seemingly undisturbed with Alex’s (I could have died, Alex had adamantly explained to Kelley later, to which Kelley replied that she was being dramatic) outburst. “It’s not like Ash and Ali don’t know that you’re in love with Tobin. Although…” she said, rubbing her chin, pretending to ponder something, “I actually wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t notice. They’re pretty oblivious to anything that doesn’t have to do with their relationship.” She turned towards Ashlyn. “I mean seriously, maybe you SHOULDN’T have that no sex during training camps rule because honestly you’ve been—”

“Kelley!” yelped Ashlyn this time, covering Kelley’s mouth with her hand.

“Ash! You told her?” Ali whispered furiously, whacking Ashlyn on the arm.

“Ow! No, I just—she—its…I love you?” Ashlyn replied, sheepishly. 

“Oh my god, yes we get it you two are the cutest and we all want to vomit rainbows and shit butterflies when we’re around you because you’re so damn perfect for each other. Can we please focus on the fact that Alex is in love with Tobin and has yet to do anything about it?” said Kelley, exasperated.

Kelley, Ashlyn and Ali all turned to look at Alex, who had slouched further down into her seat at this point. The four were sitting outside, enjoying the afternoon after a light morning workout with the team, the game with Australia only two days away. Ali had been telling Alex about the new improvements she and Ashlyn had made to their home in D.C. when Kelley had blurted out her question to Alex (but Alex I NEEDED to say something, I literally was going to burst, Kelley had told Alex later that night to which Alex responded by hitting Kelley in the back of the head with a pillow, thus starting round three of the Fight of the Feathers, as Ashlyn had dubbed it). 

Alex cleared her throat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, and furthermore—”

“Lex, just stop,” said Ali softly, placing her hand gently over Alex’s. “It’s ok. We know.”

“You…know?” asked Alex.

“We know,” said Ashlyn, putting her arm around Alex. “And Abby. And Hope. And HAO. And Pinoe. And—”

“—the guy ice fishing on the edge of Alaska, and the girl who lives in that house on the very tip of New York, and—” Kelley threw in.

“Ok, I get it,” said Alex, sighing. 

“What’s the problem, Baby Horse?” asked Ali.

“It’s just…if you all can tell that I have feelings for her, either Tobin can tell and is just too polite to say anything because she doesn’t feel the same way or—”

“Definitely not that,” Kelley said, cutting Alex off. “Just stop that train of thinking right now. She likes you. Like seriously. Borderline love. Probably love. Most definitely love.”

“She’s just the most oblivious person in the world,” added Ashlyn.

Ali snorts. “No, that would be you babe.”

“Excuse me?” asked Ashlyn, feigning offense. 

“You didn’t kiss me until I was literally straddling your lap,” Ali deadpanned.

“I’ll have you know that I was just being chivalrous,” said Ashlyn, crossing her arms, a pout on her face.

“There’s a difference between chivalrous and oblivious babe,” Ali replied.

“Hmph,” Ashlyn grumbled, but nevertheless slung her arm over Ali’s shoulders, pulling her closer. “Yeah well I wasn’t so oblivious after the kiss considering we—”

“Ok seriously, do you two even remember you’re in public? Sitting with other people?” interrupted Kelley.

Ali cleared her throat and gave a sheepish smile, while Ashyln just grinned. “Sorry, we were talking about Alex and Tobin,” said Ali, turning her attention back to Alex, who had absentmindedly been tearing pieces of her napkin away and thinking about her situation.

She knew that she had to say something to Tobin. It was getting harder and harder each day for her to keep her feelings to herself. She knew she loved Tobin, and (she would never admit this out loud to Kelley) but she knew she was already halfway to IN love with Tobin. The in-between space the two of them have been living was fine—she was content, and she was happy. 

But she couldn’t help but want more. 

And she didn’t want to wait until it burst out of her. Her feelings were already building, and she knew that if (when, definitely when she promised herself) she told Tobin about how she was feeling, she wanted the moment to be more than her just blurting it out because she couldn’t hold it in any longer. She wanted it to be an actual moment, something they could both remember forever (and it spoke volumes about their friendship that Alex was certain there would even be a relationship after she admitted her feelings—whether it be friendship or something more), and look back fondly on as the start of whatever came next. 

“Al?” Ashlyn asked, knocking her out of her reverie.

“Yeah?”

“What’s going on in that head of yours?” asked Ali, giving Alex an encouraging nod. 

“I—oh what the hell. You guys already know, apparently,” said Alex, with a huff. She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, but smiled. “I just—I like her so much. I am so in like with her you guys. She makes me feel—feel…I can’t really put it into words. But I’ve got butterflies in my stomach all the time. Stronger than butterflies like…like—”

“Hummingbirds,” Ashlyn murmurs, smiling. “You’ve got hummingbirds in your stomach.”

“Yes! That! Way stronger than butterflies!” exclaimed Alex, eyes widening when she realizes how accurately Ashlyn described the feeling. “Hummingbirds,” she said quietly. She smiled to herself for a moment before looking up and meeting her friend’s softening gazes (no Alex, I was NOT tearing up, I had a twig in my eye, shut up, Kelley will say later when they’re back in their room). “My heart feels full and like it’s going to pound out of my chest and I just want to be near her like, all the time. I just…I am so in like with her. And I can only see my feelings growing stronger every day.”

It was silent for a while as the group absorbed what Alex had just said.

“So what are you going to be about your obvious love feelings for Tobin?” asked Kelley.

“Always the smooth operator, Kell,” said Ashlyn, shaking her head.

“I need to tell her,” Alex state confidently.

“Atta girl!” said Ashlyn, patting her on the back. Ali beamed and leaned forward. “When are you going to do it?”

“Tonight,” said Alex decidedly. “I need to do it tonight.”

“Before the start of the World Cup?” asked Kelley. 

“Yes. If we get together, then that’ll be great and I’ll be happy and we’ll be happy and it can only fuel my playing,” said Alex, nodding her head.

“…and just for the sake of arguing, in the .000001 percent chance you don’t get together…?” asked Ali carefully.

“Ali! Shush!” Kelley said quickly.

“No, it’s ok Kell,” Alex replied, nodding her head. “I know that’s a possibility. If that does happen, I’ll be heartbroken but that’ll fuel our playing too. I know it. Any powerful emotion helps our drive. Although if it is heartbreak…I’m going to need a whole lot of cuddles and Say Yes to the Dress Marathons,” said Alex wirily. 

“But it won’t happen,” said Ashlyn, confidently. 

Kelley nodded her head in agreement. “So, how are you going to do this?”

Alex thought about the idea forming in her mind. “Well, I think maybe I should…”

* *

“I feel like I could take her.”

“I really feel like you can’t.”

“No seriously, I think I can do it.”

“No, you seriously can not.”

“You think I should challenge her?”

“That is literally the opposite of what I’ve been saying this whole time.”

“But what if—”

“I LIKE ALEX,” Tobin blurted out, cutting off Amy’s response to Lauren, both girls turning their heads to stare at Tobin.

The three were sitting at a café, drinking coffee. Amy and Lauren had been debating the pros and cons of Amy challenging Kelley to a pillow fight (Amy convinced she would be victorious, and Lauren convinced it would only end in both parties being injured) after Kelley had smacked Amy in the face when she accidentally mistook Amy coming through the doorway for Alex. Both Amy and Lauren noticed Tobin seemed more quiet than usual, and she was—Tobin had been mulling over the best way to tell her best friends about her feelings for Alex. 

Which was really making Tobin overthink everything, leading to her simply blurting out her feelings.

“Umm…ok Tobs? We like her too, you know?” said Amy, raising an eyebrow.

“No, I mean like, I like her—like, I’m in like with her—I—”

“Tobs, we know,” Lauren said, laughing and cutting off Tobin’s stuttering. 

Amy grinned. “Yeah, I was just messing with you. We know you loooove her.”

Tobin sputtered indignantly. “Excuse me, I said LIKE.”

“Oh Tobin, denying your love for Alex is an insult to both you and her,” said Lauren, shaking her head. “Like is definitely an understatement.”

“Honestly, I don’t know why you guys aren’t together yet,” Amy added.

“Honestly? I thought about it a lot last night and…I don’t know why we’re not together yet either,” said Tobin, leaning closer to the two. “Which is why I’ve decided to do something about it. Tonight.”

“Seriously?” squealed Amy, clapping her hands together. Lauren pulled Tobin into her side, giving her a hug. 

“I’m so happy for you Tobs,” Lauren said quietly. “You two are going to be brilliant together.” 

Tobin grinned, only just now realizing she had tensed up after blurting out her (not so secret) confession, and she felt her shoulders relax. She didn’t know why she was so worried about telling them—these two were with her throughout this entire journey. The three of them grew up together, matured together, found love, and other adventures she would always cherish—Lauren and Amy were always there by her side. Tobin smiled at the thought that they would both be there when she found her happy ending with the girl she was in like (NOT love, and she wished Ashlyn would stop teasing her about it because while she was sure Alex returned her feelings, Tobin still didn’t want to freak her out by using the word love before they even had a first date) with. 

“Sooo,” said Amy, breaking Tobin from her musings. “How are you going to tell her?”

“Oooh! Are we about to have a brainstorm session right now?” asked Lauren. 

“Holy shit this is actually like a rom con right now. We are the supporting characters in a rom con,” Amy said excitedly. “We’re in a movie! Ok ok, let’s think about what the romantic lead would do in this moment.”

“Ok A-Rod, let’s take it down a notch,” said Tobin, chuckling. “This is real life so I won’t be chasing her down through the airport or hiring a sky writer or taking her on a hot air balloon ride.”

“I think those are awesome in movies!” Lauren chimed in. “But yeah, let’s be practical about this. She wants to tell her tonight. No way I can get in touch with my hot air balloon guy in time,” she joked, winking at Tobin.

The three shared a laugh and Tobin smiled. These were her best friends and they were awesome.

“We are not in a rom con, A-Rod. No but really, here’s what I’m thinking—” started Tobin.

“Wait! Let me get something to write this down on,” said Lauren, searching through her bag for a pen. 

“Oh my god, you guys no, it’s not that—”

“If you’re about to say it’s not that serious, just stop right there,” Amy said, cutting her off. “It is serious. This is the girl you love—”

“—oh my—I said LIKE—”

Amy continued, ignoring Tobin, “—and it is a big freaking deal. The biggest deal. This is your future happiness. And we are so excited for you.”

Lauren, having found her small spiral notepad and a pen, set them both down on the table. “Ok, go ahead Tobito, lay it on us.”

Smiling, Tobin just shook her head at her best friends’ antics but nevertheless, continued. “Ok, so here’s what I’m thinking…”


	4. Chapter 4

“How ya feeling Al? Nervous? Anxious? I’m-about-to-shit-my-pants excited?”

“Kell!”

“What?” 

Alex shook her head at her friend’s antics, but was ultimately grateful for the joking around. Kelley, Ashlyn and Ali were basically circled around her, all four of them squished onto one bed in Alex and Kelley’s room (why are we all on one bed oh my god, we’re too big for this, Ashlyn had complained to which Kelley replied that it’s a love ambush so everyone just shut the hell up so we can go over the plan one more time) helping Alex calm her nerves. Tonight was the night. Alex was going to tell Tobin how she feels.

“Ok, lay it out for us Kriegsy,” said Kelley.

“So the plan is to—”

“WAIT. Use the chart I made,” said Kelley, cutting Ali off. 

“I really don’t think—”

“It is vital to the mission!” Kelley whined, pouting. “Plus I spent all that time cutting pictures out and gluing them onto this poster board”

“Where did you even find the time to do that?” asked Ashlyn incredulously.

“The better question is why did you even take the time to do that,” muttered Alex.

“You’re all just jealous of my superior poster boarding skills,” said Kelley, crossing her arms. “Kriegsy, please continue—this time with the visuals.”

Ali sighed. These were her best friends. Lord help her.

She picked up the poster board that was lying on the ground and held it up. “Ok, as I was saying. The plan is to get Tobin to this room while simultaneously making sure that nobody interrupts the two of you. Unfortunately because we have twenty-three girls plus the coaching staff, this will be a little more difficult to pull off. We also need to make sure all of this happens before curfew.”

“So after dinner, Baby Horse you go back to your room,” Ashlyn said, picking up where Ali left off. She pointed at the stick figure of Alex exiting the elevator and rolled her eyes when she saw Kelley beaming next to her. “And I’ll suggest a light game of charades after dinner so everyone will stay downstairs in the dining room.”

“Except I’ll ask Tobin to grab something from our room for me,” Kelley began, pointing to the picture (Alex thinks it was a picture of Tobin but it was really just a stick figure with brown hair so who really knows) of a stick figure Tobin and Kelley. “She’ll go up, open the door and bam! Al is here to profess her undying love (NOT love, shut up Kelley) for Tobs and they finally get it on and we all live happily ever after.”

Ali rolled her eyes at Kelley’s antics. “I really don’t see why you needed to draw something out for this plan. It’s basically just us distracting the team while you get Tobin to come meet Alex. There’s like, three steps involved.”

Kelley gasped. “How dare you. This is a tangible, physical representation of Talex (what the hell is Talex, Alex had asked wearily to which Kelley cheerfully replied that it was both Alex and Tobin’s names combined—think Brangelina or Krashlyn, to which Ashlyn gave Kelley a weird look and told her to stop shipping their teammates together) and at Alex and Tobin’s wedding I am going to whip out this poster during my maid of honor speech (duh, I will be your maid of honor anyone else can fight me for it, Kelley had told Alex) and all of you bitches will be bawling with mascara streaked faces because we will remember this as the start of the epic romance that is Alex and Tobin’s relationship.” Kelley crossed her arms. “And you will all be so happy that I saved this and subsequently even took the time to MAKE it in the first place, and seriously how cute is this picture of the two of them anyways?”

“You’re crazy.”

“Yeah, crazy CARING. I am a love doctor.”

“You need to see a doctor—”

“You’re just jealous—”

“Yeah well you’re—”

“Children!” said Ali, interrupting Ashlyn and Kelley’s (increasingly) childish argument. “That’s enough. Be quiet.” She turned to Alex. “You ready for this Lex?”

Alex took a deep breath and looked at her friends. Despite the antics and bickering, she knew that she was lucky to have best friends such as these. These who have supported her and helped her, and she loved them dearly. Alex smiled. “I love you guys,” she said, expressing her gratitude to the three sitting around her.

Ali smiled softly. “We love you too Alex.”

“You got this,” said Ashlyn, giving Alex a pat on the back.

“Alex, look at me,” said Kelley, putting her hands on Alex’s shoulder. Alex looked up and her eyes connected with Kelley’s. 

“You are Alex Morgan. You are ready. You can do this. You are Alex fucking Morgan. And tonight, you are going to get the girl. You got that?” Kelley said, hazel eyes boring into blue. “You tell yourself that when you get nervous and you’ll be ok.”

Alex took a deep breath and nodded her head yes.

“Ok then! Talex is going down tonight!” Kelley whooped, jumping onto her feet and breaking into a dance, flailing her arms and shaking her hips (it looked ridiculous, Ashlyn had informed her to which Kelley had stuck her tongue out and merely replied, yeah well your mom). 

Alex laughed and felt her heart soar—she was ready. 

She could do this. 

She was Alex fucking Morgan. 

And she was going to get the girl.

* *

“Alright Chen-Chen, how’s it looking?” asked Amy, taking a sip of her water. The three were in Tobin’s room, lying horizontally on the bed with Tobin in between Lauren and Amy. Lauren lifted the notepad she had been writing on, looking at the bullet points.

“So far so good. We’ve written down all the things Tobin wants to say and all the things she should probably say and—”

“I still don’t see why we had to write down all of that,” interrupted Tobin. “I am perfectly in tune with my feelings.”

“Oh Tobs,” said Amy, shaking her head. “You are the best. And we love you. But you are pretty oblivious. And sometimes you’re not the best at communicating.”

“We just want to make sure that you’re being clear,” explained Lauren, patting Tobin’s leg. “Not that we think you’re going to screw this up. We have total faith in you.”

“But outlining what you’re going to say first will help,” Amy continued. “Now, what’s the game plan?”

“I’m going to wait here in my room,” said Tobin.

“And we’ll get Baby Horse to the room,” Lauren said, flipping through her notebook. “After dinner.”

“By any means necessary!” Amy piped up.

“Wait,” Tobin began, sitting up. “What does that mean?”

“We just want to make sure that tonight is the night,” Amy replied, putting on an innocent look. 

“Yeah but why would you need any means other than just asking her—”

“It’s just by any means necessary, ok Tobs? Don’t worry about it,” Lauren said, giving her a placating pat on the shoulder. 

“So, are you ready?” asked Amy, pulling Tobin back down to lie in between the two of them.

Tobin sighed and closed her eyes.

She knew it was time to make a move. Tobin was completely head over heels for Alex. She was fairly sure something positive was going to happen tonight. If she wasn’t so confident in Alex returning her feelings, she would never take this chance. Alex is her best friend—her person. Tobin couldn’t imagine a life without Alex. This was another milestone in their relationship, and she couldn’t be more excited.

But still—she couldn’t help but be nervous.

Questions plagued her usually relaxed mind. 

“What happens if she says no?”

“She won’t,” Amy replied simply.

“What happens if she says yes?”

“Then you’ll get your happily ever after,” Lauren responded.

“What happens when the rest of the team finds out?”

“They’ll be ecstatic,” Amy answered.

“What happens when the public finds out? The media? We’re in the middle of the World Cup. Maybe this isn’t the best time to say something. Oh my god, Alex is like, super famous. What if she gets a bunch of hate mail? What if the team starts being seen negatively? What happens—”

“Romans 13:8,” Lauren interrupted Tobin’s rant.

Tobin paused her rapid fire questioning, thinking. She turned her head to look at Amy, who was smiling at her, then to the other side to Lauren, who had a grin on her face and gave her a slight nod.

Tobin looked back up towards the ceiling. “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law,” she murmured. 

Tobin’s mind settled. 

She could do this.

The trio laid there in the quiet, all content in the silence permeating around them.

“So I’m going to challenge Kelley to a pillow fight at dinner tonight,” Amy said, breaking the silence.

“Oh my—ok, we already went over this,” Lauren replied, frustration creeping into her voice.

“But I feel like I can take her.”

“I really feel like you can’t.”

“No seriously, I think I can do it.”

“No, you seriously can not.”

Tobin chuckled to herself, thanking God for her best friends. Tonight everything changes. She could do this. She was ready.

But for now she stretched her arms, bringing her hands behind her head, content in the sound of her two best friends bickering over her.

* *

“Are everybody’s watches synchronized?” asked Kelley, pulling her beanie lower on her head. “Operation Talex is a go. Do you have eyes on the target?”

“Oh my god, you’ve got to stop. We are not spies. This is not a mission,” Ashlyn replied, rolling her eyes.

“Besides, you made us synchronize our watches before we left the room for dinner,” Alex said, chuckling.

Ali simply shook her head.

The four were sitting at a table in the dining room near the end of dinner. Alex was nervous—like, everything was about to change forever nervous, whether the outcome ended up being positive or negative. It helped her nerves when she burst out laughing at Kelley’s outfit (Kelley, why the hell is your shirt on inside out, and why are you wearing sunglasses inside, and—is that my beanie? Ashlyn had asked as they met for dinner, to which Kelley had replied that everyone should be wearing stealth-like clothing and her shirt was on inside out so there was no writing on the shirt, duh Ashlyn, we’re on a mission have some professionalism), once again thanking whatever higher power that led her to meet these girls.

“Ok Alex, I’m going to tell Abby that we should play team charades to boost solidarity and yada yada,” said Ashlyn, ignoring Kelley who insisted that Ashlyn stick to the codenames Kelley had come up with (Abby is Obi-Wan and Alex is Luke Skywalker for obvious reasons, to which Alex had pointed out that Abby wasn’t that old, leading Kelley to just write the names in big block letters under the pictures she had glued onto—really, another poster board? Ali had asked—a bright pink board). “You make your escape when everybody is getting up and shuffling around to sort out the teams.”

Alex nodded. Ashlyn and Ali grinned. Kelley clapped her hands together excitedly.

“Time to get your girl, Baby Horse,” said Ali, giving Alex a pat on the arm. Ashlyn and Ali both stood up and headed towards Abby, and Kelley left to ask (beg, really) Tobin to grab her lucky hat for the charades game (but Tobin, how was I supposed to know we would be playing team charades after dinner? Kelley had asked, followed by some pouting and pleading, to which Tobin rolled her eyes and reluctantly left her seat).

Alex got up and nonchalantly walked towards the door, as the team was engrossed in splitting the girls into two even teams (NO Carli, you and Hope cannot always be on the same team, its not fair that you have that weird freaky telepathy thing going on and I’m going to prove you two are cheating one of these days, she heard HAO say). She reached the door and quickly opened it, spinning around to catch it before it slammed shut. Alex grinned and softly closed the door.

Phase one complete.

Alex, still grinning to herself, turned around only to be met with someone jamming a beanie on her head, covering her eyes and two sets of hands grabbing her arms.

“Hey! What the hell—”

“Relax Baby Horse, its Cheney and A-Rod,” she heard a voice say, indeed relaxing when she recognized the two girls next to her.

“What are you doing?” asked Alex, exasperated. She needed to get to her room before Tobin got there and found Kelley’s lucky hat (a hat Alex had coincidentally bought for Kelley during one of their first training camps together).

“Your presence is required elsewhere,” said Amy, leading Alex down the hallway.

“No, you guys don’t understand, I need to go to my room—”

“Nope,” interrupted Lauren, as Alex felt the three of them enter the elevator. 

“But—”

“Shush.”

“I seriously need to—”

“Quiet.”

“This is ridiculous—”

This time Alex was interrupted by the ding of the elevator, and she was led out of it and down the hallway. The stopped abruptly and one of them pulled the beanie off her head. 

“Good luck!” Lauren said sincerely, and Amy turned Alex around and pushed her through the slightly ajar hotel room door.

Alex stumbled through the doorway and looked up.

“Tobin?”

Ten minutes earlier at the end of dinner

“Ok, here we go Tobs,” said Amy, looking around the room at their teammates finishing their dinner.

“Time to make your escape,” Lauren said, finding Alex with her eyes. She was sitting by herself after Ashlyn, Ali and Kelley had gotten up.

“Thanks for everything guys, I really—”

“Everybody listen up!” she heard Abby say, and she looked up to see Ashlyn, Ali and Abby standing at the front of the room. “We’re playing a little game of team charades!”

“Toby!” said a voice, startling Tobin out of attention. Kelley stood in front of her, smiling and—

“Why is your shirt inside out?” Tobin asked, looking at Kelley’s attire.

“Not at liberty to say,” Kelley replied quickly, her smile never faltering. “Anyways, I need a favor and I will love you forever and ever and honestly, you sort of owe me from that one time we went surfing and that thing happened and I swore never to mention it again excluding this time which doesn’t count because—”

“Ok,” Tobin said, cutting Kelley off. “What do you want?”

“Can you go to my room and grab my lucky hat for me?” Kelley asked. 

“And why can’t you go get it?”

“Because I need to get a prime seat and I need to be here when we choose team names because I refuse to play for a team as unimaginative as ‘Team 2’ just because Carli and Hope—”

“Oh my god, fine,” said Tobin. She glanced towards Lauren and Amy who were both raising their eyebrows and nodding to her. “What?” Tobin asked.

“Oh my—Tobin LEAVE THE ROOM to go get Kelley’s hat,” Amy said, emphasizing the first half of her sentence.

“Yes Tobin, LEAVE THE ROOM FOR THIS LEGITIMATE REASON and go do the thing,” added Lauren.

“Wha—oh! Oh. Right. Ok. I’m gonna go do that thing then,” said Tobin, awkwardly shuffling her feet. 

“Great!” Kelley smiled, handing her key card over to Tobin. “It’s on the dresser. Bye!” With a wave, Kelley skipped over to where Hope was sitting, listening to HAO and Pinoe argue about team names.

“Tobin! Alex is leaving the room! Go now and we’ll cut her off and bring her to you,” said Amy, watching Alex stand up from the table she was occupying. 

With a nod, Tobin walked quickly to one of the side doors and before exiting, saw Lauren and Amy doing the same in an attempt to beat Alex to the exit.

Here we go, Tobin thought, and jogged to the elevator to get to her room. As she entered, she paced—now all that was left to do was wait for Alex. 

And share her feelings.

She heard shuffling at the door and Amy and Lauren’s voice, followed by Alex’s. 

The door opened, and she saw Alex stumble into the room.

“Tobin?”


	5. Chapter 5

“Hey Lex,” Tobin said, pausing in her pacing. “I uhh—hi.” She winced at her awkwardness and rubbed the back of her neck.

“Why did Lauren and Amy just kidnap me? And didn’t I just see you in the dining hall?” asked Alex, taking a few steps closer to Tobin.

“All very good questions that I can definitely answer,” Tobin said, wringing her hands together. “But look—I just need to—I want to—”

“Wait,” said Alex, interrupting Tobin. She took a few more steps to close the gap between them and reached for Tobin’s hand. “I have something to say.”

Tobin paused in her ranting, looking up at Alex.

Now it was Alex’s turn to be nervous.

She took a deep breath.

She was ready. 

She could do this. 

“I am Alex fucking Morgan,” Alex said abruptly, startling both herself and Tobin. 

“Umm, ok?” asked Tobin, confused.

Alex groaned. “Oh my—that is not what I was trying to say. It’s like—you see Tobin—we, that is you and I—ugh,” she huffed. “The thing that I’m trying to say—I want—”

Alex groaned and threw her hands up in exasperation, staring to pace the room. While Alex was furiously trying to string together a coherent sentence, Tobin was getting more and more anxious (not to mention nervous). She could literally feel the stress rolling off of Alex, and ingrained in Tobin’s nature was the desire to help Alex always—especially when she could clearly see Alex struggling. Tobin’s usual method to calm Alex down was to blurt out something funny or a random fact that she had stored in her head (she may or may not memorize these little tidbits of information with the sole intent on saving them for when she needed to make Alex smile). 

But this time it wasn’t a random fact—no, Tobin couldn’t focus on anything other than what she was supposed to be saying to the girl in front of her. 

Tobin’s head swirled with the different bullet points Lauren and Amy had forced her to write. The last one popped into her mind.

“I am heavily in like with you,” Tobin blurted into the brief pause of Alex’s struggle to find her words.

Alex froze, mouth gaping open, eyes widening. “Wha—” she choked out, pausing in her attempt at whatever she was trying to say to Tobin. She cleared her throat. “What?”

Tobin gulped. She had no doubt Alex had heard her, and yet Alex was still here, not running from the room so she figured she should forge ahead. 

“I am heavily in like with you,” Tobin repeated. She winced slightly, a sheepish expression on her face. “And yes, I could have phrased that a lot better but the bullet points kept floating around in my head and that’s the one that stuck and I just—I just really like you. But I’m IN like with you. Like, of course I like you because you’re my best friend. Love you even, as best friends do.” At this point Tobin was wringing her hands together again. “But I also am in like with you like when people say they’re in love, but not—its not—the love thing is like—what I’m trying to—oh my—words Tobin, you know them. Use them,” she scolded to herself, frustrated. She heard Alex giggle, and she looked up to meet the blue eyes of her most favorite person. 

Alex was smiling. Tobin smiled back—anytime Alex was smiling, Tobin was too.

“Do you understand what I’m trying to say?” asked Tobin, chuckling.

Alex grabbed Tobin’s hand again, but this time laced their fingers together.

“You are in like with me,” Alex said, quirking her lips upward into a half smile. 

Tobin nodded.

“How very middle school of you,” Alex continued, but had a full blown smile on her face now, and her voice took on a slight teasing tone.

“Yeah well, at least I could say words,” Tobin replied, relaxing in the familiar banter between the two. 

Alex laughed again, untangling their fingers only to place one hand on the back of Tobin’s neck, the other cupping her cheek. “Tobs,” Alex said softly. 

“Yes?” Tobin whispered.

“I’m in like with you too,” Alex whispered back.

“Yeah?” Tobin said, almost breathlessly.

Alex nodded. “I’m going to kiss you now,” Alex said back, just as breathless.

“I’m going to kiss you back,” Tobin replied, leaning in closer. 

Alex’s eyes fluttered shut as her lips met Tobin’s. Their lips came together softly, barely any pressure. 

It was gentle.

It was loving.

It was perfect.

It told Tobin that Alex felt the same way.

Tobin felt the emotions rising through her and her heart was pounding as she circled her arms around Alex, pulling them closer together. Alex’s hand moved from Tobin’s neck to the back of her head, tangling her fingers through Tobin’s hair. That simple act ignited something in Tobin and she slightly opened her mouth, her tongue reaching out to meet Alex’s lips. 

Alex responded immediately—the passion had ignited in her too.

Alex opened her mouth, allowing Tobin immediate entry. Tobin took her time, exploring Alex’s mouth with her tongue before she felt Alex’s tongue tangle with her own. It seemed like forever; yet it was all too soon when Alex pulled slightly away.

Oxygen was becoming a problem.

“Tobs,” Alex breathed out into the inch of space between their lips. 

Tobin leaned in again and captured her lips once more; this time Alex put her tongue into Tobin’s mouth immediately. It was Alex this time who explored Tobin’s mouth with her tongue—something Tobin definitely didn’t mind. Alex’s lips molded with hers like they had been kissing each other forever. Tobin couldn’t remember when a kiss had felt more natural (not that she could actually remember anything in this moment other than Alex, and the feel of Alex’s mouth, and Alex’s hands, and Alex, Alex, Alex—she was surrounded by the other girl); kissing Alex was certainly a high. Her lips tingled, she longed for more. She had never experienced this overwhelming feeling of want and need and completeness. She felt herself almost fall into the kiss, surrounding herself with everything Alex, her teammate, her best friend, her partner, her— 

“Be my girlfriend,” Tobin managed to say the next time Alex pulled away.

“Ok,” Alex murmured, closing the gap between them again. 

Her girlfriend.

Tobin felt Alex grin into the kiss before pulling away. “Hey wait, I wanted to ask you that.”

Tobin grinned back and pulled Alex back to her, squeezing slightly. She loved the feeling of Alex in her arms. 

“Not everything is a competition, Lex,” she said, chuckling.

“Says the loser of every monop deal game ever,” Alex replied, quirking her eyebrow.

Tobin gasped dramatically and let her arms drop, taking a small step back. “You did NOT just go there.”

Alex took one step closer, grabbing Tobin’s hands and lacing their fingers together. “Whatcha gonna do about it?” she asked teasingly, leaning into Tobin once more.

“This,” said Tobin, pulling on their connected hands, placing Alex’s arms around her waist. Tobin’s lips met Alex’s again, and Tobin felt Alex caressing her hips, grazing her skin just above her shorts. In response, Tobin placed her hands on either side of Alex’s face, cupping her cheeks. Alex sighed into the kiss, and Tobin just about melted.

So wrapped up in their kiss, they didn’t hear the telltale sign of the door being unlocked.

“—be a seeker, definitely! I—whoa!”

“Oh my!” “Get it Toby!” “Finally!” 

Tobin broke the kiss abruptly, startled by the interruption. She started to turn her head, but Alex leaned her forehead against Tobin’s, preventing her from moving her head. 

“Please tell me our best friends are not standing in the doorway right now,” said Alex, sighing. 

Tobin let out a breathy chuckle. “I could, but I don’t think it would be right to start this relationship with a lie.”

Alex let out a groan and dropped her head onto Tobin’s shoulder. Tobin chuckled, and turned her head to face the shit-eating grins of Kelley, Ashlyn and Ali.

* *

“Alex this is not our fault! We thought Tobin would still be in our room, exactly where the mission was supposed to end!” Kelley said, holding her arms up in surrender.

The teammates were all in Tobin and Ashlyn’s room. Alex and Tobin were standing in between the two beds, arms crossed. Kelley, Ashlyn and Ali were sitting on Ashlyn’s bed, looking properly chastised. 

“That was the plan,” said Alex. 

Kelley huffed. “The very thorough, thought out plan that I painstakingly—”

“—not that well thought out—” Ashlyn said out of the corner of her mouth.

“—put together, poster boards and all!”

“Multiple poster boards?” asked Tobin.

Alex reached down and gave Tobin’s hand a light squeeze, addressing Kelley. “That was the plan. And then Tobin here goes and has me kidnapped,” said Alex, reaching over and lacing her fingers through Tobin’s.

“Tobito! You had your own plan?” asked Kelley, looking intrigued.

Tobin chuckled and nodded her head. “Yeah, Cheney and Amy helped get Alex to my room so that I could finally tell her how I feel. And I guess you guys had your own plan to get me to your room Kell? You didn’t actually need your lucky hat, did you?”

“Actually I sort of did, but I remember that I put it in this room so I wouldn’t forget it for dinner since you two were SUPPOSED to be in me and Alex’s room,” said Kelley. 

“But she forgot it anyways,” Ali continued.

“And there’s no way I was going to trust Kelley unattended in our room,” Ashlyn piped up. “Remember the last time we let Kelley loose?”

“Ahh, the infamous Prank War of 2014,” Kelley said fondly. She turned to Ashlyn. “You’re just hella salty about it because you didn’t—”

“Tobin!” came a loud shout from the doorway, as the door banged open. 

The occupants of the room all looked up to see Lauren and Amy standing in the doorway, eyes wide.

“We uhh…noticed Kell, Ash and Ali were missing and Abby told us you guys went up to Ash and Tobin’s room to get something,” said Lauren, taking in the scene before her. She noticed Tobin holding hands with Alex, their fingers interlaced and smiled. She nudged Amy and nodded in their direction. Amy’s eyes widened as she too noticed the new development in the room and smirked.

“We tried to cut them off before they got here but it seems we’re too late,” said Amy, as she and Lauren entered further into the room.

“Well if you had gotten to the room the same time as us, you would have also caught Alex and Toby in a very passionate make out session,” said Kelley, trying to keep her voice as nonchalant as possible (but it was extremely difficult when she was already picturing the happy dance she had stored for when Alex shared all the details with her).

Lauren and Amy beamed and looked at Tobin. “So you two are together now?” asked Amy. “It worked!”

Tobin grinned back at her fellow New Kids and nodded. “Just asked her to be my girlfriend about five minutes ago before these knuckleheads interrupted,” she explained, gesturing to the three sitting on the bed.

“Hey!” protested Ashlyn. Ali gave her a small pat on her back, smiling slightly. 

“Ok! Toby, you go with Chen-Chen and A-Rod, Lex you come with me!” said Kelley, standing up and clapping her hands together authoritatively. “Then we’ll switch!”

Tobin and Alex gave Kelley a confused look, having no clue what she was talking about (Kelley, you only make sense about fifty percent of the time, Alex had explained to her to which Kelley had stuck her tongue out and picked up her pillow, threatening Round 4, which had Alex grabbing her own pillow and surprisingly, Amy grabbing one as well before Lauren stepped in between the three of them and told them now was not the time). 

“We need time with our best friends to talk about this new development,” said Kelley, as if it was obvious. “Then we’ll switch because we each need to give our version of be break her heart break her face except not really because we all love each other and we’re all best friends and blah blah blah.”

Blank stares.

“Let’s get a move on people!” Kelly barked, startling everyone out of their confused looks. “Al, meet us back at our room. Tobs, you stay here.”

Lauren glanced at her watch and shook her head. “Actually Kell—we should go back down to the dining hall. Abby is waiting on us to start the game.”

“And you know how Carli gets when she’s impatient,” Amy added.

Alex turned to Tobin. “Tobs, they’re going to notice if we’re missing when they all go back down.”

“I think…” Tobin began reluctantly, “we should probably join them. The World Cup starts tomorrow.”

Alex nodded her head in agreement. “We need to be with our team.”

“Ok, well we’ll head to the elevators and wait for the two of you there,” said Ali, standing up and herding both Kelley and Ashlyn towards the door, throwing a wink over her shoulder. Lauren and Amy both gave Alex and Tobin a hug and followed out the door until it slammed shut, leaving the new couple to themselves.

* *

“So—” “What—”

Alex and Tobin both chuckled as they tried to speak at the same time. Tobin sat down on the bed, pulling Alex with her. She reconnected their hands. “You go first,” she said, giving Alex the floor.

“I want to tell you how I feel,” Alex began. “I know you asked and I said yes and we’re together now, but I want to make sure you know how much I’ve really fallen for you.” 

Alex found that her words came to her easier now, especially since the hard part—the initial challenge of actually getting out a simple “I like you”—was over. They were together, and everything else that came after would be in the context of their newfound relationship. 

Tobin nodded. “I want to have that conversation too,” she said. “I didn’t say all I wanted to say before because well, you saw. I was basically stuttering.”

“The chill Tobin Heath, at a loss for words,” teased Alex. “If only everyone had seen that.”

Tobin grinned and leaned in, giving Alex a soft kiss on the lips. Alex sighed and fell into it as Tobin deepened it. The two got lost in each other until a banging on the door startled them apart. 

“Let’s go lovebirds!” they heard Kelley’s voice say through the door, followed by what sounded like Ashlyn telling Kelley to shut up. 

Alex smiled at Tobin. “Tomorrow,” she said. 

“Tomorrow what?”

“Tomorrow we should have that talk. The feelings talk,” Alex clarified, giving Tobin one last kiss before standing up.

“Before or after the game?” asked Tobin. 

“After,” Alex said decidedly. “Win the first game, then have the talk.”

“Agreed,” said Tobin. She stood up too and pulled Alex towards her. “But just to hold you over until tomorrow, I really really really reallllly like you.” She captured Alex’s lips with hers again and felt Alex smile into the kiss.

“I really like you too,” Alex said when they pulled apart. 

Alex gave Tobin’s hand one last squeeze, then untangled their fingers and started towards the door. Tobin walked next to Alex down the hallway, a grin etched on her face.

Tobin noticed Alex smiling too, and she let out a happy chuckle as she joined their friends in the elevator. 

Later, when Ashlyn and Tobin were back in their room after a very competitive game of charades (where both teams lost because they had to stop the game when HAO almost leaped across the table to punch Carli in the face after Carli and Hope won ANOTHER round, their fourth in a row) lying in their respective beds, Ashlyn had simply asked what happened with her and Alex.

“Well,” Tobin would say after the lights went off, “I got the girl.”


	6. Chapter 6

They take the first game behind a brace by Pinoe and a goal from Christen. 

Australia manages to get on the board once, but ultimately fall to the U.S., becoming the first victim of what Alex really hopes will be their seven-game winning streak (though both Kelley and Alex mutually decided it could never be said out loud, because there are some things you just don’t mention—like never talking about a no-hitter or saying Voldemort’s name, to which Tobin, who had been sitting quietly at this point, said word for word, fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself, leading to two pillows being thrown at her head) on the road to the World Cup championship.

Alex and Tobin were sitting on the bus on the way back to the hotel, listening to the happy chatter of their surrounding teammates. Alex was leaning slightly into Tobin, but that wasn’t really anything unusual—their teammates were used to Alex and Tobin’s displays of affection. 

Alex and Tobin had yet to tell the whole team they were together, and—obviously excluding Kelley, Ashlyn, Ali, Lauren and Amy—nobody else knew. The new couple planned on making an announcement sooner rather than later, but first they needed to have their talk. 

And Alex secretly wanted to tell one other person on the squad before telling the rest of the team together.

“Babe,” Alex whispered, nudging Tobin to get her attention.

“Hmm?” asked Tobin, turning to face Alex. A smile slowly crept on her face. “Wait a second. Did you just call me babe?”

“What would you rather I call you?” Alex replied without missing a beat, quirking her eyebrow. She smirked, knowing she had caught Tobin off guard with her rather abrupt use of a pet name. “Honey? Darling? Sweetums? Sweet cheeks? L—”

“Ok,” Tobin said, placing a hand over Alex’s mouth and cutting her off. “Now you’re just being ridiculous.”

“Mmmp mph mmmph,” Alex’s muffled voice said. 

“What?” Tobin asked. “Ew! Babe, the appropriate response to that is NOT to lick my hand.”

“Ha! You just did it!” exclaimed Alex, laughing. 

“Did what?” Tobin replied, wiping her palm on Alex’s shorts.

“Baaaabe,” Alex said cheekily.

Tobin groaned. “Oh no, are we those people? I swore I would never be one of those people.”

“What kind of people?” asked Alex, resting her head on Tobin’s shoulder.

“The kind that go from zero to babe real quick,” Tobin said, interlacing their fingers and giving Alex’s hand a light squeeze. She was silent for a moment. “I have never in my life called anybody babe. Until just now.” Tobin frowned. “Sounds weird.”

Alex chuckled. “Ok, well then we just won’t call each other babe.”

Tobin’s frown persisted. “I mean, I liked when you called me that…”

Alex shook her head at her girlfriend, thoroughly amused. “Ok BABE,” she said, emphasizing the use of the pet name. “Then I’ll use it. You stick with whatever you’re comfortable with.”

Tobin grinned, a smile lighting up her face. Alex loved that smile—it had the power to make anyone feel better, and the sparkle in Tobin’s eyes reminded Alex that Tobin was smiling because of her—because of their new relationship. 

Alex couldn’t help but smile back and, looking around the bus at her teammates and satisfied that everyone’s attention was elsewhere, gave Tobin a quick peck on the cheek. “You are so freaking cute Tobs.”

“And Toby’s body be bangin’!” Kelley chimed in, her head suddenly popping up over the headrest of the seat in front of the couple.

Alex and Tobin both jumped slightly in their seats, startled out of the bubble they had created by an interruption in the form of their best friend (Kelley, you have got to stop popping out of nowhere and scaring people like that, Alex had complained, to which Kelley had stuck her tongue out at Alex and called her a baby, causing Alex to retaliate and in one fluid motion, grabbed Tobin’s neck pillow and swung it around to whack Kelley in the face, to which Kelley had tried to grab the pillow from Alex’s hands, both of them yelling as a tug-o-war ensued, until Carli’s head popped up a few rows in front of them and gave them what the two had dubbed ‘the glare’ and they both quickly sat down, Alex placing Tobin’s pillow back on her lap).

Apparently Kelley had finished her latest episode of Scandal and had caught the tail end of the couple’s conversation, adding in her own two cents (but Tobin, your body DO be bangin’, Kelley had said appraisingly, then turned to Alex and stated that she too had a bangin’ bod, leading Kelley to declare loudly that the entire team was filled with hotties whose bodies be bangin’).

“Did you need something Kell?” asked Tobin, recapturing Kelley’s attention.

“Nothing in particular, no,” she responded, placing her chin on top of her folded arms. “Just wondering what your guys’ plan was after the cool down tomorrow.”

Alex and Tobin looked at each other, silently communicating. This is something that happened often over the course of their friendship, and later Alex would think about it and smile at the fact that their bond forged in friendship translated over to their new relationship, only making their connection stronger and much more apparent. 

“Ok, you need to stop that,” Kelley said, interrupting them once again. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s freaky.”

“Are you talking about that weird silent communication thing they do?” asked Ashlyn, her head popping up from the seat behind the couple. “I agree, it is a little freaky.”

Kelley snorted. “You and Ali do it too. It must be a freaky couple thing.”

“It is not,” Ali said, joining in on the conversation, her head appearing next to Ashlyn’s. “Besides, Ash and I have been together for years.” At this Ashlyn stuck her tongue out at Kelley. “And stop pestering Tobin and Alex, you two,” Ali said in a slightly chastising tone.

“We’re not pestering them!” Ashlyn replied, feigning offense. 

“Well, Ashlyn is,” quipped Kelley.

“Shut up, you overgrown squirrel.”

“Make me, you dumb land shark.”

“I’ll destroy you, you fu—”

“Ash!” Ali exclaimed, covering Ashlyn’s mouth with her hand. “Honestly!”

Kelley made a face at Ashlyn, making a whipping motion with her hand.

“Hmph,” Ashlyn grumbled, taking Ali’s hand and removing it from her face. Ali shook her head at her girlfriend’s antics, but nevertheless leaned into Ashlyn and whispered something in her ear. Ashlyn’s ears turned a slight shade of red, before she gulped and nodded her head. “We’ll just let you three continue with your conversation,” she said hurriedly, and sat back down in her seat, head disappearing from view. Ali winked at Alex, who had been giggling watching the encounter, and joined Ashlyn back in her seat.

“They’re totally gonna do it,” said Kelley to the remaining two of their little group of friends.

Tobin scrunched her nose up. “Ew Kell, I don’t want to think about that.”

Kelley shrugged her shoulders as if to say sorry, not sorry. “Anyways, what are you guys doing tomorrow?”

“We’re not sure yet,” Alex said, glancing at Tobin who nodded in agreement, “But we’ll let you know as soon as we figure it out.”

“Let’s do something fun!” Kelley responded.

“Once we decide, you will be the first to know Kell,” Tobin answered, looking forward to their day off after the morning cool down.

Kelley, somewhat mollified by the answer, nodded her head and turned back around, sitting down in her seat and queuing up the next episode of Scandal. 

“What do you want to do tomorrow?” Alex asked, turning to Tobin.

Tobin smiled and placed her hand on Alex’s leg, tracing small patterns on her knee. “Doesn’t matter. I just want to spend time with you.”

Alex smiled, internally squealing at Tobin’s ability to say the sweetest things without even really trying—Tobin was genuinely happy to just spend time with her.

“Let’s talk about it when we get back to the hotel,” Alex said, giving Tobin another peck on the cheek. “We can figure it out after we have our other talk.”

Tobin hummed in agreement, a grin on her face from when Alex had kissed her on the cheek (and oh lord, if a quick peck on the cheek has this sort of affect on her, she can’t wait for more) and continued to draw patterns on Alex’s knee for the remainder of the ride back to the hotel.

* *

“Your hair smells nice.”

Alex turned her head to look at Tobin, smiling at Tobin’s compliment. Sure, Tobin complimented her before, but now it held a deeper meaning in the context of their newly romantic relationship. 

The two were lying on Alex’s bed, having returned with the team to the hotel. After showering, they decided to hang out in Alex’s room while Kelley was off doing god knows what with Pinoe and Sydney (I swear if I walk to the snack room again and have a heart attack because you three have decided to set up ANOTHER prank in there, I’m going to tell Hope that it was you three who spilled coffee on her book, Christen had threatened, to the snickers of Alex and Tobin, before they all departed from the bus).

Tobin was lying on her back, arms crossed behind her head while Alex lay on her stomach, resting in between Tobin’s legs. Alex scooted up so her face was closer to Tobin’s, crossing her arms and resting them on Tobin’s chest. She placed her chin on her folded arms, and smiled as Tobin leaned up to close the slight gap to give her a light kiss on her lips. 

“Mhmm,” Alex hummed as the kiss ended, Tobin leaning back against the pillow again. “No wait, come back.” 

Tobin grinned and happily obliged, their lips meeting once more. She loved these feather light kisses just as much as the deep, soulful ones that she and Alex had shared the night before—both times she could feel her body relaxing, the kiss affecting her entire being. She was wrapped up in all that was Alex, wondering since last night why they ever waited so long to become more than just friends. If she knew how happy she could be—how calm and at peace her soul felt and like a last piece of her heart was slotted into place the moment Alex kissed her—maybe she would have tried earlier than last night to take that step with her best friend.

Tobin smiled into the kiss, chuckling slightly. Alex pulled back with a grin of her own filling her face.

“What are you laughing about?” asked Alex, resting her head once more on Tobin’s chest and looking up slightly, warm, blue eyes connecting with hazel ones.

“Nothing,” Tobin replied. The smile seemed to be permanently stuck on her face. She brought one of her hands up to cup Alex’s face, stroking her thumb against her girlfriend’s cheek. “I’m just happy that I get to do that now.”

Alex turned her head slightly to kiss Tobin’s palm. “Me too,” she said, closing her eyes to relish the feel of Tobin’s hand caressing her face. She let out a breathy sigh, laying her head down. Opening her eyes, Tobin noticed her favorite pair of blue eyes sparkling bright—as bright as when Alex scores the game winning goal, or when they won the Olympics—as bright, but a different kind. The happiness Tobin was so accustomed to on the field was there, but they seemed to twinkle, and Tobin could feel herself getting lost in them. She shook her head slightly, trying to refocus on why they opted to spend some alone time together in the first place (yes Kelley, there will probably be kissing but we’re going to be talking too, Tobin had explained, to which Kelley just rolled her eyes and Ashlyn wiggled her eyebrows, and the two broke into a horribly pitchy version of Ginuwine’s Pony, which led to Pinoe and Syd and HAO singing too once they caught wind of it, despite not knowing why but not questioning it and duh, they were going to join in).

“Lex,” Tobin says, meeting Alex’s eyes once more. “I—”

“Wait,” Alex interrupted. She rolled over and pushed herself up, sitting up and turning around so she was facing Tobin’s. Tobin sat up as well, crossing her legs as Alex did the same. Alex reached for Tobin’s right hand, intertwining their fingers. “Let me go.” Alex smiled slightly. “After all, you’re the one who had the guts to say it out loud first. Guess its only fair I say what’s on my mind first now.”

Tobin gave Alex’s hands an encouraging squeeze. She lifted up their connected hands and gave Alex’s hand a kiss, her other hand finding Alex’s leg and resting there. Alex relaxed, any nervousness gone. There was no having to guess if Tobin felt the same way or if she was about to mess anything up—the hard part was over. 

She realized she really wanted to do this part; Alex wanted to confess her feelings for Tobin, wanted to let her know how much she loves that Tobin’s smile spreads across her whole face, and how sometimes Tobin dissolves into a fit of giggles that warms Alex to the core because its just so damn cute, and how Tobin kinks her eyebrow slightly when she’s in deep thought and despite Tobin coming off as chill (and she absolutely is and manages to calm Alex down in the process), she can be deep and meaningful, often spewing out philosophical things that make Alex stop and think, and see the world differently, and mostly how Tobin is the one who remains calm during a crisis (which perfectly balances Alex out because where Alex is sometimes like lightning, adrenaline pumping through her to the point were she can’t help an explosive outburst, Tobin is like the calm after the storm—the lightning has passed and a feeling of content and bliss rolls over everyone). Alex loves all these and so much more about Tobin, and especially loves that the two have big dreams and high expectations for themselves; they are opposites in personalities and yet seem compatible in every way.

Alex feels like she has so much to say to Tobin about how she feels that she’s not sure she’ll be adequately able to express exactly how much Tobin means to her, but she can damn well try (another thing Tobin does to her is makes her want to try harder, and being a professional athlete, Alex never had an issue with trying hard because its ingrained in her soul and her competitive spirit will always be a driving force, but Tobin makes her want to be better, and maybe she should just start there).

“Tobin,” Alex starts, looking at her girlfriend, who had steadily been drawing patterns on Alex’s leg with her hand not holding onto Alex’s, “There’s so much I want to say.” She takes a deep breath. “All of these words floating around in my head, and I could sit her and list every little thing I love about you but the beautiful thing about our relationship is that I can show you.” Alex chuckles slightly, shaking her head. “To be honest I wouldn’t even know where to start. Everything about you, everything you do—I feel like every part of my being is being drawn to you. And even though I only admitted to Kelley about six months ago that I had feelings for you, if I’m being completely honest, I’ve felt like this from the beginning. Our friendship, it was the easiest thing in the world for me to fall into. You just—” She took a deep breath. “You take my breath away, Tobs. You make me want to be a better version of myself. To be a better person.” Alex’s eyes, which had been focused on Tobin’s hand on her leg, looked up to meet Tobin’s. “It’s hard for me to put into words how I feel about you because I feel like every bit of you has drawn every bit of me into your being and makes it hard for me to focus on anything that isn’t you.” Alex took a shuddering breath, slightly frustrated at her inability to translate her feelings into words. 

“Hey,” Tobin said, nudging Alex’s leg. “I know what you mean.”

Alex smiled, her eyes shining. “Of course you do.” She laughed. “You always do.”

Tobin spoke up to save Alex the struggle of picking the right words—not because she thought Alex was doing a poor job of describing her feelings, but because she too felt the struggle of explaining how Alex made her feel. 

Throughout Alex’s speech, Tobin realized that it in fact did not matter—they can freely show their affections, proving through actions instead of words just how much they mean to one another. Tobin didn’t need a list of reasons why Alex loves (likes, Tobin mentally chastises herself, but secretly hopes Alex is on the same page as her, and she almost always is, and knows that she’ll be able to start replacing like with love real soon) her, and she was certain Alex didn’t need one from Tobin either. Their friendship was always a constant for the both of them, and Tobin was confident that now with a romantic relationship blooming between the two, the bond would only continue to grow and actions would speak much louder than any words ever could.

“Lex, I just decided it doesn’t really matter,” said Tobin, sharing her thoughts with her new girlfriend. She released her hands only to wrap her arms around Alex’s waist, pulling her closer until Alex was sitting on Tobin’s lap. 

“What doesn’t matter?” Alex asked, placing one hand on the back of Tobin’s neck and the other on the side of her face, cupping Tobin’s cheek.

“That you can’t put into words how you’re feeling,” Tobin replied, shrugging slightly. “I’m not asking you to list all the reasons why you like me. It doesn’t matter.”

“It doesn’t?” Alex asked again, brow furrowing. 

“Nope,” Tobin said, wrapping her arms around Alex a bit tighter. “Just that you do.”

* *

Alex took a deep breath and knocked on the hotel door. She heard shuffling as someone came closer, and the door swung open.

“Hey Alex! What’s up?” asked Christen, smile on her face.

Alex smiled back. She loved how Christen was always smiling.

Although it wasn’t Christen’s first year on the team, it was her first major tournament like the World Cup, and Alex had wanted to make sure Christen felt comfortable with everyone. Despite being the same age, she knew Christen was still a little shy around her and some of the team. Alex didn’t blame her—she had been in her exact shoes when she first came onto the national team. Taking the field with Abby Wambach and Hope Solo and many more women she had looked up to growing up was intimidating, but she had watched Christen grow more confident as she gained more caps and was proud of the way it showed through her play.

“Hey Pressy, great game today!” Alex said, pulling Christen in for a quick hug and giving her a tight squeeze before releasing her. “I know I said it earlier, but I wanted to let you know that you’re doing a great job.”

Christen smiled shyly at Alex, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Thanks Al,” she said, blushing slightly. “That means a lot coming from you.” Christen cleared her throat. “I’m actually on my way to JJ’s room right now. She and Kling and Moe are watching She’s the Man. Want to join?”

“That sounds like fun!” Alex exclaimed. “I love that movie! But I was actually hoping to talk to Abby for a bit. Is she around?”

Christen nodded her head. “Yeah, she’s in the shower but she should be finishing up soon. You can wait for her in here. I’ll catch you later at team dinner?”

Alex grinned and nodded yes, and Christen gave Alex’s arm a slight squeeze as Alex entered the room. “Thanks again for…well…everything, really,” Christen said. “The team is lucky to have you and so am I.”

“Yeah well, you’re alright for a Cardinal,” Alex said cheekily, winking. 

Christen laughed, eyes crinkling. “And you’re not so bad for a Bear,” she responded, and gave Alex a wave before leaving the room and letting the door shut behind her. Alex chuckled to herself and sat down on the bed, waiting for Abby to finish.

It was about ten minutes until Alex heard the bathroom door open and Abby exited, clad in shorts and a sports bra. Alex had taken the time she was sitting alone to think about what she wanted to say to Abby. 

“Hey Alex, what’s up?”

Alex looked up as Abby spoke, seemingly undisturbed that Alex was waiting on her bed for her. It wasn’t unusual for Alex to seek out Abby after a game—win, lose or draw, Alex always wanted to speak with Abby in some capacity, and despite being considered one of the more seasoned players on the National Team now, Alex will always go to Abby for guidance. 

Alex had told Tobin that before they informed the team, she wanted to speak with Abby, wanted to tell her on her own. She wasn’t sure why she felt so strongly about it, except for the fact that Abby’s place in Alex’s life was irreplaceable. Abby had taken Alex under her wing when she first made it to the National Team, and has been looking out for her ever since. Abby is her mentor, her confidant—the person she most looks up to.

“Hi Abby,” Alex said. “I was hoping I could talk to you for a bit before team dinner?”

Abby took note of Alex’s posture and quirked her eyebrow. Alex was sitting cross-legged on the bed, back straight, hands picking at the comforter underneath her. 

“What’s up Lex?” she asked, using the towel in her hand to dry her hair. She rummaged through her bag and found a shirt, throwing it on over her sports bra. “Did you want to talk about the game? Because the goals will start to come for you. It was only the first game of group play.” Abby smiled thinking about the competitive nature and stubbornness of Alex’s personality that was so much like her own. “And you just being on the field today really opened up the offense, gave us more chances to get the ball into the box.”

“Thanks Abby, but that’s not—I didn’t come here to talk about the game,” Alex said, swinging her legs over the edge so she was in a sitting position. “I wanted to actually tell you something and umm…I’m not sure where to start.”

Abby dragged the chair from the desk and placed it in front of where Alex was sitting, taking a seat herself. She could tell it was something serious, and while she was proud of the way Alex was growing both as a person and a player, Abby was happy that she could still provide advice for Alex. She had taken the young forward under her wing, and the connection they had both on and off the field was something they have had ever since Alex had been called up.

“What’s going on Al?” asked Abby, leaning back in her seat.

Alex took a deep breath. She didn’t know why she was so nervous. Because she was technically coming out? Because she was dating a teammate? She knew that Abby would be nothing but happy for her—Abby had only ever been happy for her. Abby had told her before that she couldn’t wait for the day Alex beats all of her records—Abby already called dibs on throwing the celebration party. Abby was selfless, she was one of a kind—she was Alex’s captain. 

“I umm—well Tobin and I—we uhh, we’re dating. Each other,” Alex clarified, as if it was necessary. “Tobin is my girlfriend. And I wanted to tell you because you’re ya know,” Alex continued, gesturing with her hands, “You’re you. And I’m, me? Ok, that didn’t really make sense.” 

Abby watched as Alex struggled with her words, eyebrows furrowing together. She smiled at the sight, chuckling slightly. “You and Tobin are dating,” Abby repeated.

Alex nodded and timidly looked up to meet Abby’s gaze. When she saw the grin on her mentor’s face, Alex’s smile grew as well. “Yeah. We’re together. Officially since last night.”

“I’m really happy for you, Al,” Abby said. “You’re happy?”

“Yes. Absolutely,” Alex answered. “So happy. And it’s only technically been a day. But I—she just makes me so happy. It’s like everything that was there in our friendship just heightened the romantic side, like now when she hugs me or holds my hand I feel more than I did before? And I’m so excited that it’s only been a day and I feel like this, because that means that feeling can only grow, right?”

Abby, who had a wide smile on her face that only grew during Alex’s explanation, placed her hand on the top of Alex’s head, like she does whenever she’s proud of something Alex has said or done. 

“Al, that’s so great,” she began. “You and Tobin were best friends for so long—I can guarantee that your love will only grow as you embark on this new journey together.” She moved her hand to Alex’s shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze. “The best relationships—the ones that last—are the ones that are rooted in friendship.”

“Yeah?” Alex asked, over the moon with Abby’s response. It made her feel comfortable and safe, just like her first day all those years ago when she had walked into the National Team locker room, the daunting names of Rampone, Solo and more surrounding her. Clutching her bag tightly, she had felt the nerves down to her core—that is, until Abby Wambach had walked up to her, smiled, and grabbed Alex’s bag to carry it to the locker next to hers. 

Abby nodded, continuing. “One day, you look at the person and you see something more than you did the night before. Like a switch has been flicked somewhere. And the person who was just a friend is…suddenly the only person you can ever imagine yourself with.”

Alex giggled slightly. “We just started dating yesterday Abby. We actually haven’t even gone out on a real date yet. I don’t think we’re at that point yet.”

Abby grinned knowingly. “Trust me Lex, you guys have been in love long before you put a label on it. I know you, and I know Tobin, and the two of you have always had something special. It was like an instant connection the moment you met.”

Alex shrugged her shoulders, looking down shyly. “Yeah well…I just really wanted to tell you, one on one. Before we told the rest of the team. I think maybe I was looking a little bit for approval and you’ve always been there for me and I just—I really love you, ya know?”

Abby gave Alex’s leg a pat. “I love you too, Al. And I’m so happy you told me. Now,” she said, standing from her chair. “What say you and I go get a snack before dinner? On me.”

Alex grinned and took Abby’s outstretched hand. She knew that Tobin was out with Lauren and A-Rod, both agreeing to meet up again during team dinner. Looking forward to spending time with one of her most cherished friends, she stood and was instantly wrapped in a tight hug by Abby. “Ok,” Alex mumbled into Abby’s shoulder, her arms hugging Abby around the waist. “But not from the snack room. I think Kelley and Pinoe and Syd rigged it again.”

“Nah, this is a celebration! We’re going on a field trip. Let’s get some smoothies,” Abby said, laughing at her teammates antics. She put her arm around Alex’s shoulders and Alex, filled with the same safeness she always associated with Abby, grinned and the two walked to the door, off to stroll the streets of Winnipeg.


	7. Chapter 7

“Where’s the dynamic duo?”

“Oh my god, you cannot call them that without using air quotes. Otherwise someone will think we seriously call them that.”

“Well it’s catchy!”

“It’s cheesy!”

“Well everyone likes cheese so there!”

Tobin laughed along with the rest of their teammates as Kelley stuck her tongue out at Sydney, signaling that she had gotten in the last word and was done with the conversation.

The team was spread throughout the conference room the hotel had designated for them, sitting at the tables waiting for the buffet line to be set up for their dinner. Tobin was sitting with Lauren and A-Rod, the three of them cooing over pictures of Ryan on Amy’s phone.

The doors to the conference room burst open with a bang, making most, including the three of them, look up at the doorway. The alarmed looks turned to smiles as Abby walked through the open doors with a smiling Alex Morgan on her back, both laughing hysterically. 

“What’s so funny?” HAO called out over their laughter.

The two looked up and paused, realizing all eyes were on them. Abby turned her head and made eye contact with Alex, causing both women to burst into laughter once more.

“And why does Alex get to have a piggy back ride?” Megan complained with an exaggerated pout. “I thought those were banned outside of practice.”

“No, they were banned for YOU outside of practice after you almost killed Moe,” Becky replied, the rest of the team nodding in agreement.

“I thought she was paying attention!” Megan argued back.

“I was clearly enjoying my ice cream cone! Which you made me drop, by the way,” Morgan said, crossing her arms with a huff. Kling, who was next to Morgan, feigned sympathy and gave Morgan a few pats on her back, though she couldn’t quite contain her snickering at her best friend’s ice cream misfortune.

“I still want to know what those two are laughing about!” HAO called out, repeating her previous question.

“I don’t. I want to eat,” Carli stated, gesturing to the trays that had been placed on the buffet line as the team had been talking.

Hope and Carli, in sync (to nobody’s surprise), got up and headed to the food line as the rest of the team diligently followed. 

Alex gave Abby a hug before they both joined the line, Abby grabbing her food and walking over to join Christie, Boxxy and Lori at their table. Alex, having spotted Tobin sitting with the rest of the New Kids, started towards them when she felt herself being pulled in the other direction. She turned to see that it was Kelley (and really, she wasn’t all that surprised, because while the whole team generally lacked any sort of personal boundaries, it is Kelley who often plops down on Alex’s lap instead of a chair, or has no trouble falling asleep sprawled halfway on the bed and halfway on top of Alex, and she’s also Alex’s best friend so yeah, she’s not surprised it’s Kelley) who had a fist full of Alex’s shirt, dragging her over and pulling her to sit down with Ashlyn and Ali, before Kelley plopped down in the seat next to Alex.

“Umm, hi?” Alex says hesitantly as she takes in the sight of her friends.

Ali and Ashlyn are both leaning across the table and staring intently at Alex, and Kelley’s face is literally a few inches away from Alex’s, elbows on the table holding her head up as she stares unabashedly as well.

“What?” Alex questions, raising an eyebrow. 

The three don’t respond, just continue to stare.

“Seriously, what? Stop staring like that you weirdos,” Alex continues, picking up her fork and starting on her meal. “Why did you drag me over here? I was going to go sit with Tobin.”

Ali and Ashlyn both grin at nearly the same time (ok, that’s creepy, Alex had said, to which Kelley vehemently agreed to the protests of the couple at the table), and Kelley scoffs and takes a gulp of her water.

“You’re going to make us ask?” Ashlyn finally says, breaking the silence. 

“Ask what?”

“Oh my god, you’re killin’ me Smalls,” Kelley says exaggeratedly, dropping her forehead to the table. She groans before looking up. “Tell us what happened with you and Tobin! You didn’t give us the details of how you two got together!”

“Umm, you guys know how we got together?” asked Alex.

“We know that Tobin had a plan just like you did, but you didn’t tell us what exactly went down!” Ashlyn argued.

“Spill, Baby Horse,” Ali added.

“What exactly do you guys want to know?” Alex asked wearily.

“Who admitted their feelings first?” 

“What did you guys talk about after the game today?” 

“Who asked who to be their girlfriend?”

“When are you going to tell the team?”

The three started to throw questions out at the same time, making Alex lean back in her chair and shake her head at her best friends. Her friends continued to throw out questions and Alex continued with her meal, seemingly unperturbed by the inevitable argument (it was more of an affectionate bickering, and it happened so often their friends just continued with things as normal until a third party put an end to it, usually Ali) that arose between Kelley and Ashlyn. 

“Was her plan better than mine?” 

“Shut up Kelley, it wasn’t that great of a plan.” 

“Excuse you, it was brilliant. Foolproof, even.”

“Obviously not if it didn’t work.” 

“You jinxed it. I told you to wear your spy clothes.”

“I don’t even know what that means.”

“Oh, don’t give me that. You know what it means Harris. Everyone knows what it means.”

“Literally nobody knows what it means.”

“If by nobody you mean—”

Alex looked up, confused by the abrupt silence as Kelley and Ashlyn stopped bickering. She hadn’t yet heard Ali’s voice interjecting, putting an end to her other friend’s argument. 

“What’s up guys?” a voice asked behind Alex.

Alex turned her head to see Lauren standing behind her. Ali had covered both Kelley and Ashlyn’s mouths with her hands when she saw Cheney approaching the table. She gave Lauren a grin and a shrug, gesturing to the two whose mouths she had covered.

“Hey Cheney,” Ali said. “These two were just having one of their stupid arguments.”

Lauren nodded her head, as if it was a normal occurrence (which it was, the whole team was often amused by the conversations between the two). Ali removed her hands after a raised eyebrow and a silent conversation with Ashlyn, and the three gave their attention to the newcomer.

“What’s up Chen?” asked Alex, angling her body towards Lauren.

Lauren’s smile turned into a smirk as she lifted her hand and waved a folded piece of paper in front of Alex’s face. “This is for you,” she said, chuckling slightly.

“What is it?” Kelley asked, having found her voice.

“For Alex, not for Kelley,” Ashlyn replied, arms crossed as she pouted (Ali, I was going to win that argument, Ashlyn had said later which set off another round of bickering between Ashlyn and Kelley).

“It’s from Tobin. I don’t know what it says,” Lauren said as she handed the note over to Alex. “I’m just the messenger.”

“Why didn’t she bring it over herself?” Alex asked, holding the folded piece of paper in her hand.

“She’s trying to be romantic, I think,” Lauren answered, as Kelley snorted and Ashlyn let out a loud laugh. 

“Oh shut up you two, it IS romantic,” Ali scolded.

Alex turned her head towards where Tobin was sitting with Amy. Tobin was subtly trying to glance at Alex, a small smile on her face as she pretended to not be staring at Alex and Lauren’s exchange.

Alex smiled and shook her head. “Thanks Cheney.”

“Anything for you two crazies,” Lauren said, and with a wink towards Alex, walked back over to her seat.

Alex, still grinning to herself, looked down at the paper in her hand. She unfolded the paper, ignoring Kelley and Ashlyn’s whispered questions and Ali’s voice telling them to be quiet and mind their own business.

Dear Alex,

Will you please go on a date with me?

Circle one:

Yes No

Sincerely,  
Tobin

P.S.—Flip to back side

Alex couldn’t hold back the burst of laughter that escaped her as she flipped over the note to see more of Tobin’s handwriting. 

How’s that for middle school? 

Grinning from ear to ear, Alex looked up to the amused faces of her friends. 

“Anybody got a pen?”

* *

“Hey guys, can I borrow Tobin for a second?”

Tobin, Amy and Lauren all turned to see Alex standing next to their table, smile on her face and a familiar looking folded up piece of paper in her hand.

Tobin grinned and got up, ignoring the giggles (really guys, we are in our twenties and you’re still giggling over me and my girlfriend, Tobin had said later, which only set off another round of squeals someone ending in a three way hug that kept a smile on Tobin’s face the rest of the day because ok yeah, she was happy her best friends seemed to be just as excited as she was that Alex was her girlfriend) of Amy and Lauren as she followed Alex just outside of the conference room. 

“What’s up Lex?” she asked as she stopped in front of Alex, eyeing the note in her hand.

Alex took one more step so that her toes were touching Tobin’s. “This is for you,” she said, and took Tobin’s hand and placed the folded note in the midfielder’s palm. She closed Tobin’s fingers around the note, and grabbed a fistful of her shirt. “And this is for you,” Alex said, a little softer, and slowly pulled Tobin closer until their lips met. 

Tobin grinned into the kiss, bring her arms up to pull Alex closer, kissing her harder. She felt Alex chuckle against her lips and it only spurred her on. She felt Alex wrapping her arms around her neck as the kiss deepened, going from a soft kiss to a more intense one that shook Tobin to her core. Tobin felt Alex nibble on her bottom lip, then her top, and finally Alex’s tongue glided across Tobin’s lips as she opened her mouth to allow Alex entrance. Tongues met, and Tobin felt her knees becoming weak. Alex was once again surrounding all of her senses (which seemed to be a recurring thing that happened every time Alex kissed Tobin, and really Tobin wasn’t complaining at all).

Alex pulled back slightly, kissing Tobin softly once more. She gave Tobin a few gentle kisses before leaning her forehead against Tobin’s.

“You’re so freaking cute, you know that?” Alex whispered breathlessly.

Tobin hummed. “You’re cute,” she responded.

“You wrote me a note,” Alex replied, kissing Tobin on one cheek and then the other, followed by one on the tip of Tobin’s nose. 

Tobin loved how Alex could go from passionate to playful in an instant (and vice versa, and Tobin was thoroughly excited about exploring all sides of Alex’s personality through their newfound romantic relationship). “Yeah well,” Tobin said, shrugging her shoulders.

Alex just smiled and gave Tobin another kiss. “Ok, I should go back to my room before the rest of the team starts filing out of there,” she said, indicating to the closed doors of the conference room. “Plus I promised Kelley I would answer all of her questions.” Alex rolled her eyes as she took a step back from Tobin. “I feel like I should go mentally prepare for that.”

Tobin grinned, pulling Alex back into her and capturing her lips once more. “Mmmm, ok. Good night.” She couldn’t stop herself from leaning in and giving Alex another soft kiss. “I’ll pick you up at your room tomorrow,” Tobin said, releasing Alex. She could hear shuffling behind the door, indicating that the rest of their teammates were getting ready to leave the conference room. 

“How do you know I said yes?” asked Alex, walking slowly backwards down the hallway. “Sweet dreams, Tobs.” She laughed at the pout on Tobin’s face before turning the corner, heading to the elevators. Tobin stood there, listening to her girlfriend’s laughter fill her with happiness. 

Tobin looked down at the note in her hand and opened it, eyes landing on the YES that seemed to have been circled multiple times on the page in red pen. She smiled to herself and read the new addition to the note Alex had written. 

Tomorrow. Noon. Can’t wait, BABE.

Tobin’s smile grew wider, if that was even possible anymore—Tobin felt like she had smiled more these past few days than she ever had in her life. While she knows that isn’t true, the reason behind her smile seems much more important than anything thus far in her life. The sound of the door slamming shut down the hallway knocked Tobin out of her musing.

“Why are you smiling to yourself like an idiot?”

Tobin chuckled at Sydney’s question, ignoring the knowing looks she felt coming from Lauren and Amy, both of whom had exited the room with Sydney and Pinoe. Lauren and Amy came to a stop besides Tobin as the rest of the team filed past them, all going their separate ways.

“Sup Tobs?” asked Amy.

Tobin slung her arms over her two best friend’s shoulders. “I’ve got a date tomorrow after cool down,” she said. Amy cheered and did a happy dance while Lauren clapped, both of them happy for their friend. “Want to help me plan it?”

“Lead the way, Tobito,” Lauren said, as she wrapped her arm around Tobin’s waist. Amy did the same from the other side of Tobin, and the three best friends walked towards the elevator, smiles on their faces.

* *

“So where are you guys going?” asked Kelley, lying on the bed with her head hanging over the edge. Alex, who had just finished picking out an outfit from her very limited non-soccer clothing, was now searching around for the one pair of shoes she brought that weren’t workout shoes.

“I’m not sure,” Alex replied, slipping on her sandals. “Definitely doing lunch, but I let her decide what we’re doing today.”

“Well it’s Tobin, so you guys will probably like, lie on the grass and stare at the clouds, talking about the philosophical characteristics of each cloud in terms of the shapes you see them as, followed by a—ow!” Kelley started, cut off as a pillow landed on her face.

“You done?” asked Alex, as she stood up and grabbed the flannel she borrowed (stolen, Tobin had pointed out after Alex had taken it from Tobin during the plane ride to Canada, but it was so fluffy and comfortable and warm and she just loved it, and really there was no way Tobin was getting this thing back), tying it around her waist. Slipping her sunglasses on top of her head, she grabbed her wallet and phone and placed them in her back pockets. “Ok, how do I look?”

Kelley rolled onto her stomach, kicking her feet back and forth in the air, reminiscent of a little kid (that’s not even an insult Ashlyn, kids are the future of our world, Kelley had said, sticking her tongue out after Ashlyn had pointed out that she was not a child, she was a twenty six year old grown ass adult), and looked Alex up and down.

“You look like Alex,” she deadpanned, snickering at Alex’s groan.

“Never mind,” Alex muttered, rolling her eyes at her best friend.

“No, wait. Ok, come on, I was kidding,” Kelley said, sitting up quickly. She smiled a genuine smile, one that Alex mimicked back as she saw her best friend’s happiness behind the smile. 

“You look great, honestly. Ok, serious Kelley moment for a second?” Kelley asked, patting the spot next to her, indicating for Alex to join her on the bed. Alex heard the tone in her best friend’s voice and sat down, looking up to meet Kelley’s eyes. Kelley grabbed Alex’s hands with hers. “I am so happy for you, Al.” 

Alex gave her best friend’s hands a squeeze. “That means a lot to me. Thank you,” she replied, suddenly feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the girl sitting next to her. Kelley was her confidant, the one who helped her figure out the feelings she had for Tobin, who knocked some sense into her when she was being stubborn about them, and giving her the courage to finally tell Tobin how she was feeling. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Kelley, giving her a tight hug. 

“Can’t breath, Al,” Kelley’s muffled voice said, her face buried in Alex’s shoulder.

“Shhh, don’t ruin the moment,” Alex replied, picking Kelley’s arms up and wrapping them around her own back. 

“The moment will be ruined when I pass out from lack of oxygen,” Kelley’s voice said.

A knock on their door caused Alex to release her friend, leaning back and hopping off the bed to open it. “Thank god,” she heard Kelley breath out behind her (don’t be so dramatic Kell, Alex scoffed to which Kelley pouted and flopped back onto her stomach).

Alex looked through the peephole, smiling when she saw her girlfriend (cue internal squeal, and she really didn’t think she’d ever get over calling Tobin her girlfriend) on the other side. She swung the door open, smiling when she saw Tobin’s outfit did not consist of her normal soccer shorts and a hoodie (though Alex absolutely loved Tobin in soccer shorts, and hoodies, and she even finds that she doesn’t mind how much Tar Heels apparel Tobin wears because she is able to wrangle Tobin into a Cal shirt every once in awhile). Tobin smiled back at Alex and removed her hand from behind her back to reveal a single flower.

“Hi,” Tobin said simply, stepping closer and holding the flower towards Alex. “This is for you. You look beautiful.”

Alex took a step closer as well, taking the flower from Tobin’s hand and gave her grinning girlfriend a light peck on the cheek. “Hi,” she said back. “Thank you.”

“Hi!” the couple, who were quite caught up with staring at one another, heard behind Alex. They both turned to see Kelley standing in the doorway, phone in hand. 

“What are you doing Kell?”

“Taking pictures,” she replied, holding her phone up as Tobin and Alex heard the telltale signs of the phone’s camera going off.

“Why?” Tobin asked, reaching out to take Alex’s hand. Alex turned her head at the contact, smiling at Tobin and again leaning over to give her a more lingering kiss on the cheek. Tobin’s grin was as wide as it has ever been.

“For the mems!” Kelley said, finally putting her phone in her pocket.

“The mems?”

“The memories,” Kelley answered, leaning against the doorway.

“You’re so weird,” Alex said, shaking her head. She turned her attention back to Tobin. “Ready to go babe?”

Tobin’s heart warmed at the pet name that came so naturally for Alex to use. “See ya later Kell,” Tobin said by way of agreement, and gave Kelley a wave as the couple made their way down the hallway towards the elevator.

“Bye! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” they hear Kelley yell from behind them.

Alex and Tobin chuckled as Tobin swung their connected hands back and forth, the two of them continuing on their way.

* *

Meanwhile, while Alex was getting ready…

“How about this?”

Ashlyn looked up from her phone to see Tobin had changed her shirt once more. 

“Tobs, I’m pretty sure Alex won’t care what you’re wearing,” Ashlyn said, grinning at the obvious nervousness her friend was experiencing. “But those white pants with that black shirt…you almost look as good as me,” she continued, winking as Tobin rolled her eyes.

“I just want to show Alex that I’m trying. I mean, we’ve been best friends for so long, and I want to make sure that there’s a clear change in our relationship. That it continues to grow romantically, you know?” Tobin rambles, picking up her wallet and phone from the desk.

Ashlyn nods her head, realizing her friend might need a quick pep talk before her first date. “I get it Tobs, it was the same way when Ali and I first got together,” she said, standing up. She placed her hands on Tobin’s shoulders and met her eyes. “But that’s one of the best things about your guys’ relationship. It was rooted in friendship. Everything that happens from here on out will only add to that. There’s no need to be nervous.”

Tobin smiled at her friend, forever thankful for the day the two of them met all those years ago at UNC. She nodded her head, acknowledging Ashlyn. “I don’t know why I’m so nervous,” Tobin admitted, shaking her head slightly. “It’s just Alex—well, it’s not just Alex. I mean, she’s not JUST Alex. She’s—”

“Tobin, I get it,” Ashlyn said, cutting off Tobin’s rambling. “She was never just Alex.” The goalkeeper smiled at Tobin, dropping her hands from Tobin’s shoulders. “I get it.”

Tobin nodded her head, because she realized Ashlyn did get it. She had gone through a similar thing with Ali. “Ok, I got this.”

“You got this. Here,” Ashlyn said, picking up the lone flower lying on the desk in their room. “Don’t say I never gave you nothin’.”

“Umm…thanks?” Tobin said, taking the offered flower. 

“It’s for your girlfriend, Tobito. Give it to her when you pick her up,” Ashlyn responded to Tobin’s confused face, rolling her eyes slightly. 

“Oh. Oh! Right,” Tobin replied. “I knew I forgot something. I was going to buy flowers but I finished cool down sort of late.”

“Well I picked this one from the front of the lobby for you so, you know,” said Ashlyn, sitting back down on the bed. “Try to walk Alex past those particular flowers quickly.”

Tobin and Ashlyn chuckled as Tobin grabbed her sunglasses and hooked them onto her shirt. “Ok, I’ll see you later Ash,” she said, giving her friend a wave.

Tobin left their room and headed to the elevator, fiddling with the flower in her hand the entire way to Alex’s room. Knocking on the door, she felt slightly nervous until she remembered that this was Alex—her best friend, turned girlfriend. She was always comfortable with Alex. There was no reason to start being shy now.

The door swung open.

Damn.

Those hummingbirds were back.

Alex was dressed in a pair of shorts and a loose, flowy shirt, with what Tobin recognized was the flannel Alex had swiped from her tied around the forward’s waist.

Beautiful.

Tobin always thought Alex looked beautiful, whether she was in their soccer kits or in sweatpants with her hair tied and no makeup on, or in Tobin’s hoodie (especially in Tobin’s hoodie), or dressed up—Alex was always beautiful.

“Hi,” Tobin breathed out, stepping closer and holding the flower she had been fiddling with towards Alex. “This is for you.” She tugged slightly on the flannel tied around her girlfriend’s waist. “You look beautiful.”

Alex took a step closer as well, taking the flower from Tobin’s hand and gave her grinning girlfriend a light peck on the cheek. “Hi,” she said back. “Thank you.”

After a typical encounter with Kelley (which consisted of pictures and unnecessary abbreviations, which Tobin realizes actually IS a very typical interaction with Kelley), Tobin and Alex got on the elevator.

“So, where are we headed?” asked Alex, leaning slightly into her girlfriend as the elevator started to move. 

“There’s a café that I ate at with Cheney and A-Rod the other day I think you’ll really like,” Tobin said, and just because she could, gave Alex a kiss on the cheek. “Have I told you lately that I love how I can do that now?”

Alex grinned and put her arm around Tobin’s waist. “Well I love that you do that, so it’s really a win-win.”

Tobin chuckled slightly at her smiling girlfriend. “You’re cute.”

“You’re cute,” Alex fired back quickly, quirking her eyebrow.

The elevator dinged, signaling that they had reached the lobby floor, pausing Tobin’s response. Alex reached down with her hand and took Tobin’s hand once more, and her blue eyes bore into Tobin’s brown ones. A slight smile and a quirk of her eyebrow was all it took for Alex to interlace her fingers with Tobin’s—it was a silent signal that she was ok with holding hands in public. Tobin’s heart warmed at the thought—she knew how much of a celebrity figure Alex was—she was one of the faces of women’s soccer, if not THE face. 

But she was also HER Alex, the one who gets so competitive over Monop Deal most people refuse to play against her, and who dances like a dork, and who makes dumb vines with Syd that has Tobin laughing hysterically, and who just the other day tripped and yelled at the floor. 

Alex was famous, yes—and it’s true that she could be recognized on the streets, especially since the World Cup started.

But she was still Tobin’s best friend at the heart of it all. 

Alex wanted to hold Tobin’s hand in public.

And Tobin—well, she always was really bad at denying Alex anything.

Damn hummingbirds.

Stepping off the elevator, Tobin squeezed her girlfriend’s hand and followed Alex through the lobby and out to the streets of Winnipeg.


	8. Chapter 8

“What are you all smile-y about?”

Tobin took a sip of her water and looked up to meet Alex’s gaze, smile playing on her girlfriend’s lips. 

Girlfriend.

Thinking of Alex as her girlfriend just made Tobin smile even bigger, if possible. Remembering that she could now voice these kinds of feelings to her girlfriend (holy crap, there it is again—girlfriend, girlfriend, girlfriend—Alex Morgan was her girlfriend), she shrugged her shoulders to appear nonchalant, but the beaming smile on her face told Alex she was anything but.

“I’m just happy. It’s a really nice day,” Tobin said, putting her napkin on the table. “Also, you’re my girlfriend and that makes me smile.”

Alex’s grin grew as she locked eyes with her girlfriend cross the table. “Yeah? Me too.”

Tobin and Alex were sitting outside under an umbrella at the café, about ten minutes from the hotel. They had enjoyed a nice lunch together, and the glowing smile on Alex’s face helped relax Tobin. She had been worried that the first date was too simple—she had taken Alex to a nice café, but it was just lunch—and after, she had planned to take her girlfriend to get ice cream and a nice walk through the park. 

She wanted to do something spectacular, something amazing—something memorable, but being in the middle of the World Cup, surrounded by everything that came with it, limited Tobin’s options. Ashlyn had argued that Tobin could always take Alex to do something adventurous and fun when they finished the World Cup. 

Tobin sighed, something her girlfriend was quick to pick up on.

“What’s up Tobs?” she asked.

Tobin shook her head, smiling slightly at Alex’s ability to pick up on her moods just from her mannerisms. “It’s just…is this enough?”

Alex’s eyebrows furrowed as she took in Tobin’s question. “Is what enough?”

“This,” said Tobin, gesturing with her arm across the table. “This date. I want to take you to different places. Have adventures. Something unforgettable. This first date…I want it to be special. I can’t help but feel like…I mean, it’s all very generic, isn’t it? Lunch?”

Alex shook her head in response, leaning forward and putting her hand on top of Tobin’s. “Tobs, no. Ok? No way. This IS special,” she said vehemently, Tobin taken a little aback at the passion in Alex’s voice. “And it is unforgettable. I’m going to forever remember this lunch as our first date and it’s special and perfect and the best first date I’ve been on because I’m here with YOU.” Alex’s voice took on a soft tone. “I’m here with you, Tobin. My best friend. My most favorite person. That’s what makes it special.” She gave the hand she was holding a squeeze. “We ARE on an adventure babe. We’re in Canada playing for the World Cup. We’re chasing our dreams!” Alex smiled at her girlfriend, coaxing one out of Tobin as well. “This is the biggest adventure of our lives so far, and we get to be on it together. And the best part is that any adventure you want to go on from here on out, we get to do that together too.”

Tobin nodded, feeling a lot better about her seemingly unimpressive date. Maybe it seemed generic, but anytime she was with Alex was anything but and it was becoming more clear by the second that Alex felt the same way. 

“We’re going to have so many adventures, Lex,” she said, flipping her hand over and gently grabbing Alex’s. She brought the forward’s hand to her mouth, kissing it softly. 

Alex smiled softly at the loving gesture from her girlfriend. “Soccer has given me so much Tobs. All of the people, the places, you…sometimes I have to remember to step back and appreciate it.”

“I promise to help you with that,” Tobin said, crossing her heart with her finger, making Alex giggle. “Starting with our second first date in Vancouver.”

“Second first date?” asked Alex, quirking her eyebrow. 

“Everywhere we travel together, we get to have another first date,” said Tobin, excitedly. “Even if we’ve been somewhere before, it’ll be the first time we’re there as a couple!” She was practically bouncing in her seat, thinking of the possibilities. “All around Canada, when we get back to Portland, wherever we go after that—dates in places we’ve never been before. Dates in places we have been. There are so many new experiences waiting for us.”

Alex was silent for a while, and Tobin saw a sparkle in her favorite pair of blue eyes as they continued to meet her own. 

“That was beautiful, Tobs.”

“Why thank you, mi’lady.”

“Seriously, very eloquent.”

“Well, I try.”

“You should write Hallmark cards.”

“Ok, now I feel like you’re making fun of me.”

“I would never!”

“…”

“Ok, only a little bit. But I get what you’re saying. And I love that you said it.” Alex leaned closer towards the middle of the table, beckoning Tobin closer. “But, mighty presumptuous of you there, Tobs,” she said, winking at her girlfriend who had leaned in closer after the gesture. “It’s only the first date, after all.” 

Tobin’s smile never faltered seeing the twinkling in Alex’s blue eyes, the smirk on her girlfriend’s face. “Technically, yes. This is our first date. But if we’re being completely honest, we’ve been dating without the kissing and whatnot for a few months now.” She leaned closer so her face was inches from Alex’s across the table.

Alex grinned and gave Tobin a quick peck on the cheek before leaning back in her seat. “So, what’s next?” 

“Ice cream?” asked Tobin, placing a tip on the table.

“Yes please!” Alex responded happily. “But my treat. It’s only fair since you got lunch.”

“Nope! You said I could plan the date, and that means I get to pay,” Tobin said, as her and Alex stood from the table. “You can pay on the next one.”

Alex paused, causing Tobin to stop as well. “What?” 

“The next one. I like the sound of that,” Alex said, smiling. She gave Tobin’s hand a squeeze and led them out of the café to their next destination.

* *

“I don’t care that it’s only the first date,” Alex declared, emphasizing her point by taking a large bite of her ice cream. “You are perfect. It’s decided. Perfect girlfriend is perfect.”

“Wow, if this is the response I get for buying you ice cream I’ll do it everyday,” Tobin said, watching fondly as Alex happily ate her ice cream, ignoring the strawberry smears she had around her mouth. “You’ve got ice cream all over your mouth, you dork.”

Alex grinned and grabbed onto Tobin’s shirt, pulling her closer. “I know. I was hoping you could help me clean it up.” 

Tobin chuckled before leaning in and kissing the corner of Alex’s mouth, tasting the strawberry. She kissed the other side of her girlfriend’s mouth, Alex’s laugh mixing with Tobin’s own until it stopped when Tobin’s lips met Alex’s, giving her a kiss. Tobin sucked on Alex’s top lip before capturing her girlfriend’s bottom lip between her own. 

She could feel Alex moan into her mouth and realized maybe a booth in the back corner of an ice cream shop wasn’t the most appropriate place to be doing this. She reluctantly pulled back, much to Alex’s protest.

“I think I got it all, Al,” she said, her forehead resting against Alex’s. 

“Mmmm, no,” Alex whispered breathlessly. “There’s still a little more.” She leaned in again, connecting her lips with Tobin’s, one hand coming up to cradle Tobin’s face. 

Tobin was quickly losing her sense of—well, anything—yet again. She was simply getting lost in Alex. She was brought back to reality when she felt Alex’s hand land on her thigh, creeping higher. With a herculean amount of strength (because kissing Alex Morgan was just that great, that amazing, and honestly why hadn’t she been doing this before because if this is what she had been missing out on then she hasn’t really been living and she wants to continue kissing Alex Morgan always, forever, every minute, every hour), she pulled away from Alex once more. 

“Lex,” she said softly, as Alex moved her hand from Tobin’s face to the back of the midfielder’s neck, softly tugging on the stray baby hairs there.

“Hmm?” the forward replied, seemingly still catching her breath after their (admittedly steamy, and most definitely not appropriate for public) make out session.

“I’m all for the kissing,” Tobin said, scooting back to try and create some distance to clear her addled brain. She placed her hand over Alex’s, giving it a squeeze. “Like, seriously. Love the kissing. More kissing I say.”

“Is that right?” Alex asked, smirking. 

She began to lean in again, but paused as Tobin leaned slightly back. “Wait, Lex. Like I said, love the kissing. But—”

“But?” Alex replied, quirking her eyebrow. 

“But we’re sort of in public right now and there’s a World Cup going on and you’re pretty famous,” Tobin continued. “I don’t want you to do something you’re going to regret.”

Alex sat up a little straighter, detecting the rare seriousness in Tobin’s tone. “You think I’m going to regret this?”

“Well, not regret this,” said Tobin, gesturing between the two of them. She intertwined their fingers together. “But all it takes is one picture taken and posted online and this is out in the open, out in the public—for everyone to see.”

“What if I want everyone to see?” Alex mumbled, leaning in closer to her girlfriend once more. “Tobs, I’m not ashamed of this. Of us.” She gave Tobin a softer kiss this time, one that felt both loving and reassuring. “You make me so happy Tobin. I am so happy. And I want everyone to know it’s because of you.”

Tobin smiled softly, staring at her girlfriend. How was this just the first date? And why was she ever worried about the transition from best friend to girlfriend? Before, she had been nervous—not that they wouldn’t click as a couple. No, she already knew they were great together. She had wondered if there would be a smooth and distinct transition from their friendship to their romantic relationship. She hoped that it would be a natural progression—she wanted it to be clear that they were much more than just friends now. 

And it was. 

She was so in like (love, love, love—she loves this girl, she can’t put it into words but it’s a new feeling, a different kind of love than she has for her family and friends and it’s got to be love, because what else could fill her heart and make her warm all over and just want her to get more of Alex, all the time—and she needs to tell her girlfriend soon before it bursts out of her during some random moment because Alex deserves everything, from now to forever and everyday in between) with this girl. 

How was this just the first date?

“Well if we’re being completely honest, we’ve been dating for a few months now, right?”

Alex’s question startled Tobin out of her thoughts. “Wait, what?”

Alex chuckled at her girlfriend, used to Tobin spacing out for a bit because she was so deeply in thought. “You asked how this was just the first date.”

“I said that out loud?”

Alex released a full laugh at this. “Yes babe, you did. And I told you what you told me earlier at lunch. Been dating for a few months now, right?”

Tobin grinned and shook her head, thinking about her previous worries that the transition would be awkward or not clear enough. “Nah, I changed my mind. This,” she said, leaning over to give Alex a kiss on the cheek, “is a new thing. That was just friendship.” She took both of Alex’s hands in hers. “This is everything.”

Tobin already decided long ago that seeing Alex smile at her was one of her favorite sights in the world, and this afternoon just reminded her of that (as if she needed a reminder, that smile was ingrained in her memory—her favorite memories all contained that smile) as her girlfriend smiled at her once more. 

“So…” Alex began, biting her lower lip. Tobin took note of the nervous habit. “Are you ok with us being public?” the forward asked, her voice a little softer than before. There was a hint of trepidation in her tone, bordering on timid—something Alex Morgan was not.

“Are you kidding me?” Tobin asked, leaning back and feigning a look of disbelief. “I landed Alex freaking Morgan! There’s no way I’m hiding that. My cool points just went up by at least one hundred.” 

Alex laughed again, loud and unabashedly. Tobin, having accomplished what she set out to do (Alex’s laugh was right up their with her smile as one of Tobin’s favorite things), leaned back in the booth. “But I do think we should keep it on the down low in public until after we tell our families. And our teammates.”

Alex groaned and joined Tobin in leaning back into the booth. “I am so not looking forward to the I-told-you-so’s from—well, everyone.”

“Who is everyone?” Tobin asked, slinging her arm over Alex’s shoulders. 

“Syd. HAO. Pinoe. Kling. Oh my god, even Hope, probably. I mean, she acts all tough and mean but I caught her watching the Hallmark Channel the other day and we watched like three movies in a row. The ones about like, childhood sweethearts who end up together, you know what I mean?” Tobin sat quietly, amused with her girlfriend’s rambling. “Literally everybody. Not to mention my sisters. Jeri is going to I-told-you-so me so much. And the staff! We have to talk to Jill because this affects the whole team and—”

Tobin could see Alex was quickly spiraling and decided it was time to step in. “Ok, sweetie—”

“—when Ash and Ali got together they were super supportive because of course they were going to be together it was so obvious but what if they’re not as supportive of us even though maybe we were obvious too, or that’s what Kelley keeps telling me and—”

“Honey—”

“—there’s the fact that we’ll never get to room together again which admittedly is a small price to pay for actually being together but who is going to kill the spiders because Syd hates them just as much as I do and one time Carli actually ran out of the room—”

“Dude!”

“—with—did you just call me dude?” Alex asked, stopping her rant abruptly. 

“Umm…yes?” Tobin asked, shrinking back into the booth a bit.

“You just called your girlfriend dude?” Alex repeated, an amused smile on her face.

“Only to…get your attention?” Tobin responded sheepishly. “And it worked, anyways. You were rambling. Very much spiraling. Lex,” she continued, pulled Alex into her side. “It’ll be ok. We can take the I-told-you-so’s. We can take the teasing. And everyone will be nothing but supportive. And that includes Jill and Dawn and everybody else.” She turned her head slightly, placing a kiss on the top of Alex’s head. “Let’s just take this one step at a time. Who should we tell first?”

Both were silent for a bit, Tobin content with finishing her milkshake, her arm around Alex.

“Our families,” Alex said after contemplating for a little bit. “I want my sisters to know. And my parents.”

“Alright,” Tobin agreed. “Our families. And then the team?”

“And then the team.”

“But for now…” Alex began, nuzzling her face into Tobin’s neck. “Let’s just enjoy this. I want to revel in this for a little longer, just the two of us.”

Tobin smiled as she felt Alex place a soft kiss on her neck. “Sounds good to me,” she said, tightening her grip on Alex just a bit and dropping another kiss on the forward’s head. The midfielder looked down at her watch. “But we should go. We can take a stroll through the park before we head back to the hotel. We’ve got film in a few hours.”

“Mmmm, ok,” Alex replied. She followed Tobin out of the booth, smiling when her girlfriend held her hand out for her to take. Fingers intertwined, they walked out of the ice cream shop and down the streets of Canada. A comfortable silence settled between the two as they took in the scenery, until Alex broke it.

“So only one hundred points?”

“Maybe one fifty.”

“Excuse me I am amazing, it would definitely be higher.”

“Well…my girlfriend is pretty cool. Just not as cool as me.”

Alex laughed, head thrown back as Tobin laughed along with her.

“Keep telling yourself that, babe,” Alex grinned, shaking her head.

* *

“Shall I walk you to your room?” asked Tobin, using a mock English accent. 

Alex laughed, making Tobin laugh. “Actually, I’m going to get a coffee for Kelley from the Starbucks they have in the lobby.”

“I can wait with you,” Tobin suggested, pulling her closer. 

The two had arrived back at the hotel after their stroll through the park, and were walking hand in hand across the lobby. 

“It’s alright,” said Alex, giving Tobin a quick peck on the cheek. “I know that Lauren and Amy are probably waiting for you to give them all the details about our wonderful date.”

Tobin grinned. “You’re probably right.”

“I know I’m right because Kelley is probably doing the same thing right now. Hence the coffee. If I’m nice to her maybe she’ll go easy on me,” Alex sighed, shaking her head exasperatedly when thinking about their best friend. “But I doubt it.”

“Well good luck with that, dude,” Tobin said, wrapping her arms around Alex loosely.

“Again with the dude?” Alex asked, but had a fond smile on her face.

Tobin just shrugged in response as Alex linked her fingers behind Tobin’s neck. Chuckling, Alex leaned in and gave Tobin a soft kiss. 

“I’ll see you at film,” Tobin said softly, looking at Alex who still had her eyes closed after breaking the kiss. Tobin gave her one more kiss before she stepped back, a chime indicating the elevator had arrived. 

“See ya then babe,” Alex answered, smiling as she let go of Tobin’s hand so her girlfriend could get on the elevator. She stood there until the doors closed before spinning around, headed towards the coffee shop.

* *

“Well, well, well,” said a voice behind Tobin, making her shriek and turn around quickly, her back slamming into the closed door. 

The light next to the bed was switched on, illuminating both Lauren and Amy sitting on the bed, arms crossed, eyebrows raised.

“What are you guys doing?” Tobin asked, trying to catch her breath. “Why are the curtains closed? And how long were you sitting in the dark?”

Tobin walked to the windows, opening the curtains as the room was flooded in light. 

“That is neither here nor there,” Amy said, waving her hand to dismiss the question. 

“We were waiting to hear all about your date! Duh,” said Lauren.

“You were gone for hours, Tobs!” chimed Amy, as she and Lauren adjusted so they were sitting against the headboard, patting the space between them for Tobin to sit down.

Tobin shook her head and chuckled at her best friend’s antics, but as she sat down between them, with Lauren resting her head on Tobin’s right shoulder and Amy looping her arm through Tobin’s left, she realized she wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It was really perfect you guys,” Tobin said, relaxing with her best friend’s by her side. “First we went to that café…”

* *

“What the hell?” Alex asked out loud, taking in the sight of her room.

“Hey! You’re back!” Kelley’s voice said, followed by a rustling sound. Alex watched as Kelley’s head popped out from behind the flap of the sheets.

The sheets were raised, stretching from the window to a few feet from the door. The pillows were all gone from the bed—seemingly inside the fort, where Kelley had apparently been waiting for Alex to get back. The blankets were thrown on top of the sheets, and the chairs had be arranged so there was actually room in the fort for people (say, two 26-year-old grown ass women) to sit inside, completely hidden from the outside.

“Did you really turn our room into a fort?” “You have Starbucks yay!”

The two best friends stared at each other, neither willing to back down (you guys are so weird, nobody else has random impromptu staring contests, Ashlyn had said which ended in two pillows to her face, but before she could retaliate Ali had given her a stern look and Alex and Kelley snickered at the pout that grew on the goal keepers face as she sat back down, crossing her arms). 

“Dammit!” Alex yelled as she blinked, at the same time Kelley yelled out a triumphant “Yes!”

Alex handed the drinks to Kelley and watched her best friend disappear into the (actually, this fort is really impressive, Kell, Alex had marveled until she noticed the markers, that were stacked and taped together that were supporting the middle of the structure, had the letters R.R. on them and oh my god Kell, did you steal these from Reece you need to return these Alex had exclaimed, to which Kelley had scoffed, and stated that she asked Reece if she could borrow them and she hadn’t specified when she wanted them back and she will return them when Reece does in fact ask, but they are an integral part of this very majestic fort we are sitting in the middle of so just enjoy it) fort, before letting out a sigh and crawling into the fort behind her.

“So,” Kelley said, pausing to take a sip of her coffee. “How was it? Did you in fact ponder the meaning of the manifestation of each cloud in the sky as it pertained to the individual?” 

Kelley put the drink down and laid back on the row of pillows she had lined up on the floor.

“I hate you so much,” Alex said, shaking her head. 

“Nah, you love me. Now spill all the details.”

Alex rolled her eyes, but joined Kelley on the pile of pillows. “Well, first she took me to lunch at a café...”


	9. Chapter 9

They make it out of the group stage on top—Alex and her teammates never doubted they would, but it’s nice to prove all the people (the media, especially the media) who didn’t think they could do it wrong.

A tie against Sweden brings both disappointment and something akin to nostalgia as Alex hugs her old coach, the one who gave her a chance, her first shot—who brought this group of girls who are her family (even if she didn’t know it at the time, but is so, so, extremely thankful that it was this group of girls she was paired with) together. And it feels almost poetic that the only team they don’t beat in the group stage is Pia’s (that’s how Tobin had put it, anyways, as Alex stared at her in awe at the depth of her girlfriend’s understanding, and she will not apologize to Kelley who had made gagging noises as she proceeded to kiss her girlfriend senseless, ignoring the hotel door slamming shut as Kelley left the room, leaving the two alone). 

Abby scores the only goal against Nigeria to give them the win, and Alex’s heart feels like it’s going to burst as she celebrates with her teammate, her mentor, her greatest motivation because yes, of course she wants to win for herself and the rest of her teammates, but she wants to give Abby this one thing, this World Cup, this last step in her spectacular career. She wants to show Abby how much she means to her, and giving her this World Cup is the best way Alex knows how. 

Alex knows they will only continue to grow from here—they will continue to work and strive and fight and scratch and claw their way to that trophy, the one that has eluded them for 16 years (that’s too many years, Alex keeps reminding herself, it’s time, it’s time, it’s their goddamn time). 

The team continues to thrive in their bubble, the one a couple of them have referred to when talking to the media, amid the smack talk and criticism and negativity (from both the media and other teams alike). All twenty-three of them are closer than ever, all just as hungry, just as focused as they enter the Round of 16. 

Alex is focused on soccer. That’s not an issue—has never been an issue. 

But she’s also focused on Tobin, and how she makes her feel, and they’ve only officially been dating for two weeks (two spectacular, wonderful weeks, filled with laughter and smiles and kisses, so many kisses that Alex will never tire of), but it’s long enough to know that this is something that is going to last. 

And sitting in her room, staring at her laptop screen waiting for her family to come online, she knows it’s time. 

Soccer has always made her happy, yes—but Tobin makes her even happier, and the two combined together makes Alex’s heart feel like it’s full, completely full with Tobin (and the love, she loves her, she knows she loves Tobin but it’s also technically only been two weeks and Alex isn’t quite sure about the etiquette involved with loving your best friend who recently turned into your girlfriend, and she knows any relationship that’s only been two weeks in is probably still too soon to say the words out loud, but she can continue to show it, through her smiles and kisses and everything in between). 

She’s going to tell her family. She wants them to see that her happiness is not just from soccer (this game has given her so much, and sometimes she feels like she’ll never be able to repay that, but she’ll continue to try, and the greatest honor she can think of is lifting that trophy at the end of the tournament above her head, surrounded by her teammates, her family), but from Tobin as well. 

She clicks on the smiling icon of her mom and dad, and takes a deep breath, closing her eyes.

She was ready. 

She could do this. 

“I am Alex fucking Morgan,” Alex said, hoping the saying would calm her rapidly beating heart.

“Well that’s what I wanted to put on your birth certificate, but your mom insisted we put Patricia as your middle name instead,” she heard from her computer. 

Her eyes snapped open, meeting the amused stares of her mom and dad.

“Oh, ummm…hi. Sorry guys, that was a…uhh—”

“New relaxation technique?” her mom asked, quirking her eyebrow at Alex through the computer screen.

“Just something stupid Kelley has me saying,” Alex mumbled, crossing her arms.

Her mom and dad chuckle, prompting Alex to as well. It was so nice to hear their laughter, even if it was just through some computer speakers.

“How’s it going Ali-Cat? Are you ready for Columbia?” asked her dad, leaning back in his seat. His arm was draped across the back of her mom’s chair, and the simple act made Alex smile. 

“Yup, ready to go,” she responded, leaning back in her seat as well. “I really think the pace we’ve been playing is exactly what we want. We’re starting to build momentum. I think we’re going to peak at exactly the right time.”

“You just keep playing hard and have fun out there, ok?” her mom chimed in. Alex smiled at her mom’s comment—she never failed to remind Alex to have fun (as if Alex could ever forget that she gets to play the sport she loves as a job, it’s seriously the best).

“Right, well I actually called because I had something to tell you guys,” Alex began, biting her bottom lip. The action didn’t go unnoticed by her parents, who waited for their daughter to tell them why she was so nervous. “I umm…I don’t know why I’m having such a hard time telling you guys.”

“You can tell us anything, Ali-Cat. You know that,” her mom said as her dad nodded his head in agreement.

“I’m sort of…dating someone?” Alex said, though it came out as more of a question. 

“Sort of dating someone?” her dad repeated, his eyebrows furrowing. 

Alex shook her head, upset with herself. Why did she phrase it like that? She was proud to be dating Tobin. Just the thought of her girlfriend put a smile on her face, something else that did not escape her parent’s attention.

“No. I mean, not sort of. Definitely. I’m definitely dating someone,” Alex said firmly.

“That’s great Alex,” her mom said. “But where could you possibly met him? You’ve been with your team nonstop for the past—well, months, really.”

“You actually already know them,” Alex said, the nervousness settling in again. She cleared her throat. “Her. You already know her.”

It was silent for a while as she watched the realization sink into her parent’s eyes, all the while she nibbled on her bottom lip. “I’m dating Tobin,” she blurted out into the silence. “Tobin is my girlfriend.”

She saw her dad’s eyebrows furrow once more, and her mom’s mouth dropped open, eyes wide. 

“I know this is sort of out of the blue, especially because Tobin is, you know, a girl, but she makes me so incredibly happy and she’s so beautiful and smart and funny and just everything. I can’t even—she’s so amazing you guys. And I wanted to tell you guys before we told the team because you’re my parents, and I want to tell Jer and Jen, and I can see you guys are sort of shocked right now but I don’t want to disappoint you guys and—”

The word disappoint seemed to shake her parents out of their frozen state.

“Al, hold on a second,” her dad said, interrupting her rant. “We could never be disappointed with you.”

“And it’s not really out of the blue,” her mom said, eyes shining.

“It’s…not?” Alex asked, her shoulders relaxing from the tense state she hadn’t even realized she had been in.

Her mom and dad laughed, smiles on their faces. “No Al, it’s not,” her dad continued. “Tobin has always made you happy.”

“You’re our daughter, Ali-Cat. We could tell just from the way you talked about her that you were in love with her,” her mother added.

Alex smiled softly, feeling tears spring into her eyes. 

Her parents are the best.

Her parents took note of the glistening in Alex’s eyes. “We’re so happy for you, Alex,” her dad said, pulling her mom to him.

“And we love Tobin,” her mom said.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know why I’m crying,” Alex said, wiping the few tears that had managed to escape. “I’m just so happy. And I just—you guys are the best. I can’t wait until you guys get here.”

Now Alex recognized the smirk on her mother’s face and the playful look on her father’s. 

“We can’t wait either, Ali-Cat,” said her dad, rubbing his hands together. “It’s been awhile since we’ve been able to properly interrogate one of our daughter’s significant others.”

“I have so many stories Tobin will absolutely love,” her mother chimed in.

She knew she should have been slightly worried, but she couldn’t help the bubble of laughter that escaped from her. Her beautiful, wonderful, accepting parents were just as happy for her as she was for herself, and she felt a few more tears leave her eyes, wiping them away with the back of her hand.

“Dude!” she heard as the hotel door banged open to reveal her girlfriend. “I mean, Lex—sorry, I know you told me to stop calling you dude because it wasn’t romantic or whatever,” Tobin said, walking into the room and using air quotes to mock what Alex had told her earlier in the week (though secretly Alex didn’t mind, it was just a reminder of who Tobin is, and Alex loves who Tobin is). “Anyways, Kell and Syd just scared the shit out of Hope thinking it was Pinoe and the two of them are hiding in Abby’s bathroom and I—”

Tobin paused midsentence, noticing the tear tracks on her girlfriend’s face. “Are you ok, Al? Why are you crying?” she asked, quickly walking over and crouching next to Alex’s chair, wiping her girlfriend’s cheeks with her sleeve. “Ahh, sorry, my shirt is a little wet because I just showered and I didn’t feel like drying my hair and—”

“Hi Tobin,” the midfielder heard, her thumb freezing in it’s path across Alex’s face. She turned her head to see the amused faces of Pam and Michael Morgan staring at her through a computer screen. She felt Alex’s hand cover her own, the one still on the forward’s face, and turned back to look at Alex, who also had a smirk on her face.

“Uhh…hi,” said Tobin dumbly. Realizing where her hands were, she quickly dropped her hands to her side. “Hello Mr. Morgan, Mrs. Morgan,” she said, turning to face the computer screen.

“Tobin, you haven’t called us that in five years,” said Pam, raising her eyebrow. “There’s no need to start now.”

“Well, you can call me sir since you’re dating my little girl now,” added Michael, leaning forward in his seat, glaring at the midfielder.

“Oh—I uhh—sir, it’s—”

“Not funny Dad!” Alex exclaimed, putting her hands on either side of Tobin’s face and turning her girlfriend’s head so she was looking at her. “He’s just messing with you babe,” she said, leaning in and giving her girlfriend a quick kiss. “Knock it off Dad,” she said, getting up to pull Tobin to her feet. The midfielder, still seemingly in shock, didn’t protest when Alex pushed her into the chair, though she seemed to unfreeze the moment Alex plopped down on her lap. 

“Oh umm…Al?” she asked, trying to lean back to create some distance from her girlfriend.

“I told them about us Tobs, don’t worry,” Alex responded, placing her girlfriend’s arms around her waist. 

“And we’re so happy for you two Tobin!” Pam said through the screen.

Tobin peered around Alex’s shoulder to see Pam and Michael with smiles on their faces. “Thanks so much you guys. You have no idea what it means to hear you say that,” she said, grinning sheepishly. “A little heads up would have been nice, dude,” Tobin said, tilting her head up to look at her girlfriend.

Alex just shrugged in response. 

“When we get there we need to take the two of you out to dinner to celebrate!” Michael said, grinning broadly at the happy expression on his daughter’s face. 

“I’m looking forward to it, sir,” said Tobin, who had gathered her bearings at this point.

Michael laughed at his daughter’s girlfriend and the girl he had come to know as Alex’s best friend. “I was kidding, Tobin. You don’t have to call me sir. Michael is still fine. In fact, I insist.”

“You got it,” Tobin replied, grinning. She tightened her grip on Alex and leaned closer to the screen. “The weather here is beautiful. You guys are gonna love Canada.”

“We’ll love it even more when you guys are hoisting that trophy!” Pam said, clapping her hands in excitement. Michael rolled his eyes fondly, winking at Alex and Tobin, making the two of them giggle.

“Alright girls, we’re gonna let you go now,” he said. “Thanks for the call Ali-Cat. Tobin, I look forward to seeing you soon.”

“Bye girls!” Pam exclaimed, waving.

“Bye mom, bye dad,” Alex returned, while Tobin waved. 

Alex closed the laptop and stood up, stretching her arms above her head. She smirked when she saw Tobin’s eyes dip down to where a stretch of her skin was showing as her shirt rode up. Alex grabbed her girlfriend’s hands, pulling her up as well and walking backwards, leading her to the bed. 

“Whatcha doing, Al?” Tobin asked, noting the twinkle in Alex’s eye and the smirk on her face.

Alex just shrugged, feigning innocence as she continued to lead Tobin until the back of her knees hit the bed, and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend’s waist. She quickly turned them and pushed, Tobin landing on the bed while Alex quickly followed. Straddling the midfielder’s waist, Alex leaned down and met Tobin’s lips with her own. 

“Oh,” Tobin mumbled into Alex’s mouth, and Alex smiled as she felt Tobin’s arms wrap around her, the midfielder’s hands finding their way onto Alex’s back under her shirt. 

Alex sat up a bit, catching her breath but not for long as Tobin sat up as well, following her girlfriend’s movements and capturing Alex’s lips again. Alex was quickly becoming lost in Tobin—Tobin’s hands roaming her back, the feel of Tobin’s lips on her own—moaning into the kiss, Alex felt Tobin’s tongue sliding into her mouth, tangling with hers. 

“Tobs,” Alex breathed into the miniscule space between them as she caught her breath. 

“Mmm,” Tobin hummed, dropping kisses along Alex’s jaw, and it was a good thing Alex was sitting because she could feel her legs becoming weak and her body urging her to be closer to Tobin. Alex brought her hands from around Tobin’s neck to either side of her girlfriend’s face, bringing Tobin’s mouth back to meet her own. All rationale left Alex as she and Tobin became tangled together (but if she thought about it later, it had disappeared the second Tobin directed that beaming smile at Alex and her breath had caught in her throat, heart pounding). 

“Lex,” Alex heard Tobin breath out, as Alex gently guided Tobin back until she was lying on the bed, Alex still straddling her girlfriend. 

“You are so beautiful,” Alex whispered, taking in Tobin’s flushed face and swollen lips. She bent down and kissed her girlfriend with renewed vigor, her hands caressing the patch of skin between the top of Tobin’s shorts and shirt. 

She kissed Tobin’s jaw, returning the favor from earlier before nibbling on her girlfriend’s earlobe. Hearing Tobin’s deep breathing, Alex moved down to the midfielder’s neck, trailing kisses along the way. She heard Tobin’s breath hitch as Alex’s lips met the side of Tobin’s neck. She sucked gently, darting her tongue out to soothe the bruise she knew she left there. Tobin groaned, spurning Alex on. Her hands roamed higher up her girlfriend’s stomach, feeling the smooth skin and curves of Tobin’s muscles under her hands. 

Alex felt Tobin’s hands under her shirt, and moaned, her skin tingling everywhere Tobin’s hands roamed. “Just take it off Tob,” she said, leaning back slightly as she felt Tobin tugging on her shirt. 

Tobin grinned up at Alex, sitting up as Alex held her hands above her head. Tobin grabbed the bottom of her girlfriend’s shirt, pulling it up and over Alex’s head and throwing it to the side, leaving Alex in her sports bra. Tobin had seen Alex in her sports bra before—they’ve been teammates for years, and a lot of the time they practically live in sports bras and shorts—but this is the first time she’s had Alex Morgan straddling her lap, lips swollen, chest rising rapidly as she caught her breath from the intense make out session they were just having. 

“What?” Alex asked, shaking Tobin out of her reverie. 

Tobin grinned and shrugged, wrapping her arms around Alex once more. “My girlfriend is hot.”

Alex snorted, laughing abruptly at the statement. “Gee, thanks.”

“Just stating the obvious,” Tobin replied as Alex brought her forehead to meet Tobin’s. 

“Who says romance is dead?” Alex whispered softly, her lips meeting Tobin’s. 

“I do what I can,” Tobin mumbled, her words getting lost in Alex’s mouth. 

When oxygen became a problem once more, Alex quickly reached down and removed Tobin’s shirt, throwing it behind her. 

“Lex,” Tobin choked out as Alex peppered kisses along her girlfriend’s neck. “Alex,” she tried again. 

“Hmm?” Alex hummed, moving to just above Tobin’s sports bra, knowing she shouldn’t leave any marks but not being able to help it. Tobin was an addiction—she needed more, more, more—and Alex left mark upon mark on her girlfriend’s neck and chest. 

“Alex,” Tobin said again, and this time Alex pulled back to meet her girlfriend’s brown eyes, noticing the way her pupils were dilated and her breathing was becoming ragged. 

“Do you want me to stop?” Alex asked, linking her fingers behind her girlfriend’s neck.

“Never stop,” Tobin said, tightening her grip on Alex’s waist and pulling the forward’s body flush against hers. 

Alex chuckled at Tobin’s reply, eyes widening at the slight bruises she left along Tobin’s body.

“I think we may need to slow it down a bit though, Lex,” said Tobin, biting her bottom lip. “We—I mean, it’s just that we haven’t technically been dating for very long and we’re in the middle of the World Cup…I’m not sure if it’s the best time to…you know…go all the way.”

Alex took in Tobin’s posture—the way Tobin’s hands tightened on Alex’s waist, her girlfriend’s eyebrows furrowed and the way she was biting her bottom lip. It wasn’t that Tobin didn’t want to, Alex decided—no, she wasn’t being rejected. 

She was just being responsible.

It made Alex fall just a little bit harder for her girlfriend.

“Ok Tobs,” she said, leaning back a bit. 

“Ok?” Tobin asked, her eyebrow shooting up at Alex agreeing so easily. “You’re ok with slowing down?”

“Yeah,” Alex replied, giving Tobin a quick kiss. “I mean, when you say slow down…you mean no sex right?”

Alex almost cooed out loud at the slight blush that appeared on her girlfriend’s cheeks, Tobin’s ears reddening a bit as well. 

“Right, no umm…no sex,” Tobin mumbled.

Alex did laugh at that. “Tobs, you are adorable.”

Tobin wiggled her eyebrows in a ridiculous way, causing Alex to laugh more. 

“We can go as far as you’re comfortable with, Tobs. If you want to wait until after the tournament, then we can wait,” Alex said, shrugging.

“I just think that’s best,” Tobin said, gesturing with her hand as a way to explain. “I don’t—I’m not sure exactly how to explain it. But I think we should wait until after.”

Alex nodded her head, respecting her girlfriend’s wishes. She kissed Tobin softly, pushing back until Tobin was lying on her back once more. Breaking the kiss, she nuzzled her head against Tobin’s neck. She was perfectly content with lying in Tobin’s arms.

They lay in silence for a little bit, until Tobin broke it. 

“Hey Lex?”

“Yes?”

“That doesn’t mean we can’t continue having these make out sessions.”

Alex’s laugh into Tobin’s neck tickled, and the midfielder squirmed a bit under her girlfriend. 

“Plus, I can’t help but notice the marks you’ve left,” Tobin continued. She tightened her grip on Alex, grinning mischievously before flipping them over. She hovered over Alex now, lowering her head to kiss her girlfriend’s neck. “I think I should return the favor.”

Alex’s chuckle quickly turned into moans when Tobin’s tongue met her neck.

* *

“So when did you decide you were going to tell your parents?” 

Alex snuggled closer to Tobin, her arm across her girlfriend’s stomach. The two were lying on the bed, having just woke up from a short nap. Both were still in their sports bras and shorts, tangled together on top of the sheets.

“I’ve just been so happy lately and they’re going to be coming up here soon…I don’t want to hide anything from them,” Alex said, using her finger to follow the curves of Tobin’s stomach muscles. “I know it’s only been two weeks but they’ve been wonderful. I just wanted them to know why.”

Tobin grinned, dropping a kiss on the top of Alex’s head. “I’ve been thinking about telling my family too,” she replied.

Alex turned her body fully, laying on top of Tobin. She folded her arms on top of Tobin’s chest, her legs settling between Tobin’s. She rested her chin on top of her hands, tilting her head so her eyes could meet her girlfriend’s. 

“Yeah?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Tobin said, nodding her head. 

“I don’t want you to feel obligated just because I told mine,” Alex replied.

Tobin shook her head, lifting her hand and brushing a few hairs out of Alex’s face. “I want them to know why I’ve been so happy lately too,” she said. “And Perr already sort of has an idea. She’s the one who kept hinting at my feelings back before I even accepted them.”

Alex smiled, thinking of her girlfriend’s family. They were big on faith, as was her girlfriend—but Alex knew they were loving and accepting and every bit as wonderful as Tobin.

“When do you want to tell them?” she asked, removing her hand from underneath her and resting her head on Tobin’s chest, listening to her girlfriend’s heartbeat. 

“Right now.”

“Wait, what?” Alex asked, lifting her head. 

Tobin shrugged in a nonchalant way that was so completely Tobin, and Alex had to remind herself that Tobin was full of surprises—she did things in a different way, and her spirit, so free and adventurous and loving, was something Alex would never tire of. Spontaneity was something Alex often struggled with, but with Tobin she didn’t mind as much—in fact, Tobin’s spontaneity mixed with Alex’s tendency to plan led to some of the best adventures Alex has had. She couldn’t wait to continue to have more—this time, with Tobin as her girlfriend.

She was knocked out of her thoughts when she felt Tobin leaning towards the nightstand. Grabbing her phone, Tobin winked at Alex before scrolling through it and bringing it to her ear.

“Hi mom,” Tobin said into the phone, and Alex sat up, attempting to leave and give her girlfriend some privacy. She was stopped by Tobin’s hand on her arm. She turned her head to see Tobin shaking her head, before grabbing Alex’s hand and dragging her back down onto the bed next to her. “Stay,” she mouthed to Alex, and the forward nodded her head in agreement.

“Is dad around too?” Tobin asked. “I have something to tell you guys.”

Tobin was silent for bit, waiting for her mom to fetch her dad. “Hi dad! So I have some news. I’m dating someone.”

Tobin was silent for a second. 

“I’m dating Alex.”

More silence from Tobin as she listened to her parents’ response.

“Yes, that Alex.”

Silence. The one-sided conversation Alex was listening to was making her more nervous by the second.

“Yes, Alex Morgan.”

This silence was longer than the last, prompting Alex to tap on Tobin’s leg to gain her girlfriend’s attention. Tobin turned her head to Alex, a smile on her face as she rolled her eyes. She removed the phone from her ear and hit the speaker button. 

“—for Thanksgiving, because we would love to have her here, or if you’re doing Thanksgiving at her family’s place you can visit for Christmas instead, and before that we can fly down to Portland and you two can show us around, and oh I need to call Pam and we can discuss a joint holidays thing too, there’s so much—”

Alex covered her mouth to prevent the laughter threatening to spill out of her as she listened to Tobin’s mom. Tobin had no such qualms, and laughed loudly as her mother continued to talk.

“—visit us soon, make sure you bring her because we just adore Alex, you know that, and now we just adore her even more, and—”

“Mom!” Tobin interrupted, still laughing. 

“—with—yes, sweetie?” 

“The holidays are like, months away!” Tobin said. “Also, I have Alex here with me.”

“Hi Cindy,” Alex said, giggling slightly at the excitement Tobin’s mom was exhibiting. 

“Hi honey!” Cindy said through the phone. “Jeff! Alex is on the phone too! Say hi!”

Tobin and Alex heard some rustling before Tobin’s father’s voice came out of the speakers. “Hello Alex! Great game against Nigeria the other day!”

“Thank you Jeff!” Alex said, resting her head on Tobin’s shoulder. 

“Oh my goodness, I’m even more excited now to get down to Canada!” they heard Cindy exclaim. “We’re taking you two out to lunch. Or dinner. Whatever. I demand some quality time with my girls.”

“Yes, mom,” Tobin said, rolling her eyes. Alex smacked Tobin on the arm. “Ow! Hey!”

“Don’t roll your eyes at your mother! Cindy, we would love to,” Alex replied. 

“Oh, I can’t wait!” Cindy said, Jeff agreeing in the background. “I am so happy for you two!”

“That means the world to us, Cindy,” Alex said. “My parents are coming down too and want to take us out. Maybe we can all go together?”

“Yes! I’m going to call Pam!” Cindy replied. 

“Ok mom, well we’ve got film in about half an hour so we’re going to have to go,” Tobin said, glancing at the clock on the nightstand.

“But you can call my mom right now if you want,” Alex suggested. “I’m sure she’d love to hear from you.”

“I will! Oh, I know I said it already but I am just so happy for you two! I’ll talk to the two of you later. Bye!” Cindy said. “Jeff, say goodbye to the girls!”

Alex and Tobin heard Jeff’s goodbye echo in the background, and Tobin put the phone down as they both burst into laughter. 

“Your mother is the best,” Alex said after the two of them calmed down. Tobin hummed in agreement, glancing at the clock again. 

“We should get going,” she sighed. “We’ve got to be down in the meeting room soon and if you want to grab coffee before we should go now.”

Alex grinned, loving how much Tobin knew her. She hopped out of bed and grabbed the first shirt she found on the floor, putting it on. 

“Dude,” Tobin said, leaning against the headboard. “That is definitely not your shirt.”

Alex looked down at the shirt that, seeing the word SURF printed largely on the front. She shrugged and picked up her shirt, lying on the floor still. She smirked as she handed it to Tobin.

“You can wear mine.”

Tobin held the shirt up in front of her, frown appearing on her face as she took in the bear on the front.

“I am not wearing a Cal shirt,” she said, dropping the offending item. 

Alex shrugged. “Then I guess you’re walking back to your room in your sports bra to get another one because that’s the only one I’m giving you.”

“I can’t wear this shirt!” Tobin whined. “HAO and Ashlyn will literally kill me. And Kling. And Whit. And Lori.”

“Not my problem,” Alex said happily. “Now put it on so we can go get coffee.”

“You are literally the worst. I hate you right now.”

“Ehh, I can live with that.” 

Tobin scowled at her girlfriend, begrudgingly pulling the shirt over her head. She crossed her arms and pouted. Alex, finding the whole thing exceedingly cute, pulled out her phone and took a picture. 

“Aww, babe,” Alex cooed, leaning in and giving her a quick kiss. “Let’s go get coffee.”

“You know I’m going to get you back for this, right?” Tobin asked, standing up and pulling Alex into her arms. 

Alex winked at her girlfriend and reached down, grabbing Tobin’s hand. “You should be thanking me babe. Your cool points definitely went through the roof just now.”

Tobin scowled once more, but allowed her laughing girlfriend to pull her out of the room and down the hall. 

“I didn’t need any more cool points I’m already cooler than you,” she mumbled. 

Alex just laughed again in response.


	10. Chapter 10

The Round of 16 was two days away and Alex was feeling the pressure.

Normally, pressure makes her—she lives for the pressure, for the chance to prove herself, to be the one everyone depends on.

But she’s also coming off of an injury, and she’s not where she wants to be yet. She can play a full 90-minutes now, but the goals still haven’t come, and Alex feels something she promised herself she wouldn’t: frustrated. 

Everyone says she is doing fine—Jill, Abby, her teammates, her parents—everyone who matters has been nothing but supportive.

Jill shows it when she starts Alex, letting her know that she believes in her and believes that Alex is the best option for the team’s success.

Abby shows it with the lingering hugs and steady advice as Alex looks towards the bench, wishing her mentor was on the field with her but trusting Abby when she says it’s best for the team.

Her teammates show it with whoops and hollers when she manages to score on Hope during practice (Hope even giving her a smile, acknowledging her success), and the solidarity the rest of the forwards show in their encouraging words—there’s no jealousy, the atmosphere is competitive as always, but trusting all the same.

Her parents show it with the texts and voicemails she reads and listens to in between training sessions, the pictures from her hometown of all the Alex Morgan posters plastered in storefronts and viewing parties held in her old high school gymnasium.

But she still has yet to score.

And it’s not that she’s jealous of those who have scored, because she knows that her role is certainly bigger than just scoring. She’s watched the film with the team, listened to the coaches and Abby praising her for spreading the opponent’s defense simply because she has earned enough respect from their opponents that she will be guarded closely, which helps open the field. Her just being on the field is a threat for any team—well, that’s what everyone is telling her anyways. And logistically, she knows that to be true. 

But her heart is in conflict with her head, because what good is a forward who can’t score?

Before her injury, she would have relished in the pressure. And she still does, but it comes with something new. A little voice of doubt in the back of her head, that sometimes whispers the confidence and trust of her coaches and mentor and teammates and parents are misplaced. Which, as a professional athlete performing on the grandest stage in the world, cannot happen.

So yes, Alex was feeling the pressure. To score, to win, but mostly, to be good enough and to prove that all of the faith and trust everyone has put on her is not misplaced. 

Sitting at the desk, Alex stared out at the park across the street from the hotel. She sighed, contemplating calling her parents and talking to them about it, but ultimately deciding not to bother them. She always felt like she shouldn’t complain—she was living her dream with some of the best people she’s ever met surrounding her. On paper, nothing should be wrong. 

She heard the handle of her door being pulled, shaking her from her thoughts. She watched as her girlfriend swung the door open.

“Yo dude,” Tobin said, signature grin in place. Alex gave a small smile back, still feeling down from all that she had been feeling. “I swiped Kelley’s card key, which by the way was surprisingly easy to do. I just had to wait until she was having a conversation with Hope and she didn’t even notice me picking her pocket.”

Tobin walked further into the room, stopping next to the closet. “Anyways, put your shoes on, we’re going out to lunch with Ashlyn and Ali,” Tobin continued, opening the closet and rummaging through. “Do you want your Nikes or your Nikes?” she asked, chuckling at her own joke as she turned, showing a pair in each hand. 

“I don’t really feel like going out right now Tobs,” Alex said tiredly, running a hand through her hair. She felt mentally exhausted.

“C’mon, it’ll be fun,” Tobin insisted, seemingly deciding on the pair in her right hand and placing the other shoes back in the closet. “Our first double date!”

Alex had to smile slightly at her girlfriend’s enthusiasm, but nevertheless held true to her earlier statement. “I just don’t think I’m in the right headspace for that right now.”

“You have a headache?” Tobin asked, putting the shoes down and sitting on the bed across from Alex.

“No, I just—I’m just feeling some of the pressure,” Alex mumbled, pulling her leg up and resting her head on her knee.

“Ahh, so like normal then?” Tobin asked, a teasing lilt in her voice. “Then getting out of this room and hanging out with your friends will do you some good.” 

“You don’t understand,” Alex said. 

“I do,” Tobin insisted. “We’ve all been there, Al. The pressure is rough but it’s not anything you can’t handle.”

“No it’s not—look, I’m not…” Alex began, trying to form her thoughts into words. She stood up from her chair, pacing slightly. “I’m not saying this to be conceited or anything, but I am one of the faces of the team, if not THE face for U.S. women’s soccer,” Alex said, trying to explain the pressure that was placed upon her, the criticism that would come with her failing. All of the expectations riding on her, her short comings and inability to produce a goal being analyzed by everyone who claimed she was only the face of the team because of her looks.

“And what a pretty face it is,” Tobin said with a playful tone. 

Alex was having trouble conveying the seriousness of the situation and everything she was feeling, but her inability to explain caused her to react negatively at the joking nature of Tobin’s response. “Can you just be serious for one second?” Alex snapped, jaw clenching.

“Whoa, Al, chill,” said Tobin, arms lifting with her palms facing towards Alex in a surrendering pose. 

Tobin’s response only made Alex more upset. “God, not everything is a joke!” she said in the same tone as before. 

“And I’m not treating this like one,” Tobin replied, standing up as well. “I am being as serious as this situation dictates. Why are you yelling at me? You’re making a big deal out of nothing!”

“Oh, so now it’s nothing? Are my feelings not valid?” Alex asked heatedly, crossing her arms.

“Of course they’re valid, Alex,” Tobin replied in an exasperated tone. “That’s not what I was implying and you know it.”

“How would I know?” Alex fired back. “God, everything is so laid back with you all the time. You never take anything seriously!”

Alex saw Tobin clenching her jaw, an uncharacteristic frown showing on her face. She watched her girlfriend close her eyes and take a shuddering breath. “I’m taking a walk, Al,” Tobin said, her voice a tone Alex had never heard before, shaking her to her core. “I think we both need to cool off.”

Before Alex had a chance to respond, Tobin was gone, the door slamming shut. 

Blinking at the empty space in front of her where Tobin had been standing, Alex collapsed on the edge of the bed, sitting heavily. Her legs felt tired all of a sudden, as if she had just played an entire game. The silence seemed to echo loudly around Alex, emphasizing the fact that Tobin had left.

Alex and Tobin have had disagreements in the past—little arguments about things that weren’t all too important, and in the end had them laughing together. In fact, Alex couldn’t even remember any time she had been mad _at_ Tobin, specifically. Before, when they were just friends, there were moments where something happened and Alex would get irritated, or Tobin’s smile would dim to almost a grimace, but not because of anything the two did to one another—no, they never had any cause to fight because their friendship was easy and smooth. 

The small arguments Alex had with Tobin would eventually come to an end when one of them made a joke, causing the other to crack a smile and that was it. But again, Alex came back to the thought that she had never been specifically mad at Tobin—yes, their contrasting personalities meant they had a difference in opinion about lots of things, but between Alex’s fiery attitude and Tobin’s calm demeanor, they are always been able to find a middle ground. 

But that was before.

Before the kissing, the cuddling, the handholding, (admittedly they did this before they became a couple, but now it came with intertwined fingers and an occasional swipe of the thumb across the back of the hand).

The revelation of their romantic feelings showcased the depth of the feelings they had for one another. But it also meant they felt the hurt deeper—now, there was a shift in the dynamic between the two if they fought. 

And Alex was startled at the revelation that the first emotion she felt after hurt was one she had never felt before in regards to an argument with Tobin: panic. 

There wasn’t more to gain or more to lose. Alex had already gained—Tobin and her love were the final piece she needed to complete her. Now, more to gain _meant_ more to lose. 

Alex shook her head slightly. A tiny part of her knew feeling panic was irrational, because her and Tobin had never NOT resolved an argument.

But still.

It was the first time they’ve had an argument as a couple.

No, not an argument.

It was a fight. Their first fight. And so Alex panicked, because she didn’t know how to approach it now that they were in a relationship. She wanted to talk to her best friend about it, but her best friend was now her girlfriend and she couldn’t talk to her girlfriend about her girlfriend.

She didn’t register the door opening until it slammed shut again. She quickly looked up, expecting it to be Tobin coming back to finish their talk (fight, it was a fight, their first fight), but her heart sunk when she was met with a different set of warm brown eyes. 

“Lex?” Ali questioned softly, taking in Alex’s sunken demeanor. 

Alex opened her mouth to respond, but what came out was a strangled sob instead. She hadn’t even noticed that she had started to tear up, but her chest felt tight and the forward felt herself quickly engulfed in Ali’s arms. Turning her head, she buried her face in her friend’s shoulder and attempted to calm her breathing, realizing she was sobbing harder now. Ali rubbed soothing circles on her back, murmuring words Alex couldn’t quite catch but it seemed to help because the forward could feel herself starting to relax, sinking into Ali’s embrace.

* *

The door slammed shut behind her, and Tobin paused for a second, leaning against the door. She tilted her head up, her sight a little blurry from tears she hadn’t noticed forming in her eyes. Taking in a deep shuddering breath, she wiped the corner of her eyes with her sleeve and sighed. 

This was the first fight she’s had with Alex. 

And she walked away.

“Stupid, Tobin,” she muttered to herself, sinking down until she was sitting with her back against the door. 

Maybe it wouldn’t have been a big deal had she stayed and they just talked it out. In fact, they had only exchanged a few sentences. Why did she leave? 

Because Alex was yelling, she told herself. And she herself was about to start yelling, and when have they ever yelled at one another?

Never, Tobin thought bitterly. They’ve never yelled at one another, unless it was on the pitch and it had never been out of anger, just necessity. She left because she didn’t know how to respond to the yelling and the fighting. Alex’s words had stung, but her leaving was probably worse. 

“Tobs?” she heard.

Her eyes snapped open, titling her head up to meet the faces of Ashlyn and Ali. 

“What are you doing out here? I thought you were inviting Alex to get lunch with us?” Ashlyn asked. She took in the appearance of her friend—the lost look in her eyes, the ends of her shirt wrinkled from Tobin bunching up the material in her hands. She frowned, noticing how Tobin wasn’t matching her gaze. “What’s wrong?”

“Alex and I had a fight,” Tobin mumbled, picking at the end of her shirt. 

“So she kicked you out?” Ashlyn asked, her tone conveying disbelief. She didn’t believe Alex would do that. 

“No,” Tobin sighed, shaking her head. “I left.”

“Why?” Ali asked, her eyebrows furrowing, a frown on her face.

Tobin shrugged. “We were yelling at each other and I just—I couldn’t take it. I told her I was going to take a walk so we could both cool off.” Ali and Ashlyn’s hearts almost broke at the devastated look Tobin had on her face. “We’ve never yelled at each other before.”

Ashlyn turned her head to meet Ali’s stare, quirking her eyebrow as Ali nodded. Their silent conversation went unnoticed by their friend, who still sat despondent on the floor.

“Ok Tobs, up and at em’,” Ashlyn said, reaching down and pulling Tobin up by her arms. “Let’s take that walk.” She leaned down and pulled something out of Tobin’s socks and held it out for her girlfriend. Ali scrunched her nose at the key being held in Tobin’s sock, but didn’t protest as she took the offered item. 

She watched Tobin and Ashlyn walk down the hallway, disappearing in the elevator before facing the door and sliding the key into the slot. 

* *

They exited the hotel and walked to the park across the street in silence. Ashlyn, though most of the time liked to fill the silence, let it be—she had known Tobin for a long time, since they met at UNC all those years ago. She knew that Tobin took time to mull things over, thinking things through.

Ashlyn also knew that eventually she should knock Tobin out of her thoughts, otherwise she would overthink things and the situation would never get resolved. After walking around the park once, then twice, Ashlyn cleared her throat.

“You want to tell me what happened, Tobs?” she asked her friend, taking in the uncharacteristic frown on Tobin’s face.

Tobin sighed, pausing in her walking and titling her head to look at the sky.

“We had a fight.”

She could feel more than see Ashlyn’s stare on the side of her face. “Yeah, I got that Tobs. You want to tell me what it was about? Maybe I could help.”

“I don’t really…I’m not exactly sure what the fight was about,” Tobin replied, rubbing the back of her neck. 

Ashlyn couldn’t help but chuckle, recognizing the look on her friend’s face as one she wore often in the beginning of her relationship with Ali.

“Well maybe I can help you figure it out,” Ashlyn said, slinging her arm around Tobin’s shoulder.

Tobin was silent for a bit, drawing strength from her friend’s support. “Well I’m not sure it’s what was said, it was more…how it was said. This is the first time we’ve actually fought with each other.” The two continued walking, Tobin gesturing with her hands. “We’ve never been mad _at_ each other, but she was mad, and I was getting upset, and so I left because I didn’t know how to deal with fighting with her.” She turned her head to look at Ashlyn. “I didn’t know how to _respond_ to fighting with her. It’s never happened before.” Tobin sighed, wringing her hands together. “I didn’t know how to react. I didn’t want to say something I would regret later.”

Ashlyn guided the two to a bench and they both sat down, Tobin rubbing her face with her hands. “I just, what do I do? Tell me what to do. Alex and I never fight.”

“Tobs, I’m gonna lay some knowledge on you, ok? So pay attention,” Ashlyn said, stretching her arms behind her head. “The first time Ali and I had a fight, it was a big one. We’re both really stubborn, and there was yelling, and words were flung back and forth, and there were even some tears. I mean, it was really a big one.”

“What were you fighting about?” Tobin asked quietly. She had never seen Ashlyn and Ali fight before, and their relationship was so happy and loving—she couldn’t imagine the two of them yelling at each other. 

Ashlyn shrugged her shoulders. “I have no idea.”

Tobin whipped her head around to look at her friend. “Wait, what?”

“I don’t remember. And if you asked Ali, she probably doesn’t either.” Ashlyn looked at her friend, continuing. “See, what the fight about isn’t actually important. It’s how we responded that counts.” She locked eyes with Tobin, wanting her to soak up every word. “It was our first fight as a couple. We had been best friends for years, but we’ve never had a fight where we were specifically mad _at_ each other. We don’t remember what we were fighting about, but the act of the fight itself was important—it taught us how to navigate this new dynamic between us, and in the end it made our relationship stronger.”

Tobin was silent, and Ashlyn knew that her friend was thinking about what she had just said. “Look, the best thing you can do is be honest. Communication is key. I know it can be scary to bare your soul, but Tobin,” she continued, placing her arm around Tobin’s shoulders and pulling her friend in to her side. “You’ve got a beautiful soul. Being vulnerable is just a part of being in a relationship. And the ones that last are the ones where you can have the serious, open, honest, vulnerable conversations.”

Tobin leaned her head on Ashlyn’s shoulder, thinking. It’s not that she has trouble with being serious, it’s just that she didn’t see the need to interject seriousness in all aspects of life. She took soccer seriously. Family, seriously. Alex, definitely seriously. She was absolutely serious about her relationship with Alex. 

“Do you think I need to be more serious?” Tobin asked.

She felt Ashlyn shake her head. “No Tobs, I don’t think you do. And I don’t think that’s what Alex was asking of you. She loves you just the way you are.” She pulled back and placed her hands on Tobin’s shoulders, staring into soulful brown eyes that had been such a consistent part of her life. “She doesn’t want you to change, Tobs. But there’s also compromise in relationships, and that’s something you and Alex have to talk about together.” She stood up and reached out, hauling Tobin up as well. “And to do that, you need to go back. So come on, put on your big girl pants and go talk it out with your girlfriend.”

Despite the circumstances, Tobin smiled. “Thanks for the advice, Ash.”

“No problem, Tobito,” she said, bumping her shoulder against Tobin’s. “Now go makeup with your girl.” 

* *

“You want to talk about it, Lex?” Ali asked after Alex’s breathing got under control.

“I’m sorry,” Alex said, leaning back out of Ali’s embrace. “I don’t even know why I’m crying. It’s so dumb.”

Ali chuckled slightly, wiping away the tears on Alex’s cheek with her thumbs. “Lex, if you’re crying then it’s not dumb. It means it affected you, and if you want, we can talk about it.”

Alex sighed, but was ultimately thankful for her friend. Ali had been in a successful relationship with Ashlyn for years now, and like Alex and Tobin, had been best friends before they got together. If anybody could help Alex navigate the new aspect of her relationship with Tobin, it would be the girl sitting next to her.

“I just…we had a fight. I started yelling at her,” Alex said, thinking back to Tobin’s frown. “I don’t even know what happened, I just snapped. I’ve just—I let the pressure get to me and I took it out on Tobin.”

Ali placed her hand on top of the forward’s hand, patting it reassuringly. “Al, I’ve lost count at the amount of times I’ve yelled at Ashlyn simply because she was the only one around.” The defender shook her head, letting another chuckle escape her lips. “The first time it happened, I felt so horrible. I still feel horrible when it happens. And you know what?”

“What?” Alex asked, intrigued, wondering how Ali and Ashlyn got to the point they are today. 

“Sometimes I still snap a little bit, but as soon as I realized that instead of taking my problems out on Ashlyn, I could share them with her—well, it made my life exceptionally easier,” Ali said, slinging her arm around Alex’s shoulder and pulling the forward into her side. “I didn’t want to burden her with my problems, but Ashlyn helped me realize that she wanted that burden—she wanted me to share my problems with her. And it wasn’t a burden at all. Accepting help, sharing the highs _and_ the lows comes with being in a relationship.” She leaned back a bit to look Alex in the eyes. “I know how it feels to deal with the pressure on your own, and I know how it feels when you have someone by your side to share it with. And you know what? The latter feels a hell of a lot better than the former.”

Alex took in Ali’s words, letting them sink into her memory. She wasn’t used to feeling vulnerable, and she hated feeling like she was losing control. 

“How do I…I mean, I’ve never had anybody I wanted to share all of my problems with before. How do you get over the…I mean,” Alex started, trying to put into words how she was feeling.

“How do you get over the vulnerability?” Ali asked knowingly.

Alex nodded her head, and Ali pulled her into another hug. “Honestly? You’ve just got to jump in with both feet, Lex.” She pulled back and placed her hands on Alex’s shoulders, wanting to get her point across clearly. “And you just have to trust that the person you choose to be vulnerable with will be there to catch you after you jump.” She gave Alex a small pat on the shoulder. “I think Tobin could be that person for you, if you let her.”

Ali smiled, watching as Alex was clearly thinking about everything Ali had just said. “Ok, I’m going to go find Ashlyn and we’re heading to lunch,” she said, standing up. “I have a feeling Tobin is on her way up here right now.”

“But she left,” Alex replied quietly.

“Yeah, but she always comes back,” Ali said, shrugging. “Just like with Paris. She loves it there, but she always comes back home—she comes back to you.”

Alex smiled, thinking about the truth in that statement. 

“Good luck, Alex,” Ali said, winking at the younger girl. “Remember, both feet.”

“Thank you, Ali,” Alex responded. “You’re the best.”

“I know!” Alex heard Ali yell as the door slammed shut.

* *

Tobin and Ashlyn exited the elevator and walked down the hallway towards Alex’s room. They paused when the door opened, but it wasn’t Alex—Ali had exited the room. The defender looked up and locked eyes with her girlfriend, seemingly having another silent conversation with Ashlyn.

“Hey you two,” Ali said, walking closer. 

“Hi,” Ashlyn said, grinning. 

“Tobs,” Ali continued, nodding her head at the younger girl. She placed the key card in Tobin’s hand. “Good luck.”

Tobin gave her a small smile and walked up to the door. With one more encouraging nod from both Ali and Ashlyn, she slid the key into the slot and swung the door open. 

She found Alex sitting on the bed, head resting on her curled up knees.

“Hi,” Tobin said, stepping closer to the bed.

“Hey,” Alex responded, looking into her favorite pair of brown eyes.

Tobin noticed the tear marks on Alex’s cheeks, and that hurt more than she expected it to—she had made Alex cry. She opened her mouth to apologize, but closed it when Alex started talking.

“I’m sorry,” Alex whispered quietly. “I know you take things seriously, you just show it differently. You show me with your actions. I just forgot that for a second in the heat of the moment.”

Tobin, shuffled over to the bed, sitting down next to Alex. “No, I’m sorry.”

Alex shook her head. “No, I just…I was having trouble explaining. Let me try now?”

She looked up to see Tobin nod, and it gave her the encouragement she needed.

“I just—I feel so much pressure. From all sides,” Alex continued, rubbing her forehead with the palm of her hand. “And normally it would be fine, you know? Except it’s the World Cup—the biggest tournament in our careers—and instead of a rookie, people are looking at me as a leader.” She scoffed, shaking her head. “I’m not the same player I was before my injury, and that’s something I’ve struggled to accept.” 

She turned her head slightly away from Tobin, not knowing what she would see in her favorite pair of brown eyes if she met the midfielder’s penetrating gaze. “And I have accepted it,” she said, knowing it was true. “But now we’re here, and there are all these expectations. And I’m out on the field but I’m still not scoring goals.” 

Alex willed the tears she could feel welling up in her eyes not to fall, ducking her head and using her sleeve to try and discreetly wipe the moisture away. “And I know it’s a team sport. I know it takes all twenty-three. But I feel like all eyes are on me too and all I can think about is how I’m not meeting the expectations placed on me.”

She took another shuddering breath, but willed herself to continue—Tobin and her have had deep conversations before, but Alex felt vulnerable, something she wasn’t used to. She had always risen to the pressure, the expectations—she had an athlete’s mentality. She didn’t like to admit that she had weaknesses. 

But this wasn’t just anyone, this was Tobin—her Tobin. 

Tobin, who tells her dumb puns when she’s sad until she smiles.

Who once flew all the way from Paris to Portland because she could tell that Alex was missing her particularly hard one week.

Who picks out the red sour patch kids and saves them for Alex because they’re her favorite.

Who gives Alex her sweater when she’s feeling cold. 

If she couldn’t be vulnerable with Tobin, then with who? She took another deep breath and closed her eyes. Both feet, Alex.

“I feel like I’m failing. Like I’m letting everyone down.” 

She felt Tobin’s hand slip into hers and intertwine their fingers, and she reveled in the feeling of both safety and strength just a simple touch of Tobin’s hand made her feel. Alex lifted her head and met Tobin’s eyes with her own. She remembered the feeling of panic and heartache when she and Tobin fought, and resolved never to feel that way again—she wouldn’t push Tobin away even if it meant being vulnerable. 

“I feel like I’m not contributing as much as I should be, and I took out all of my stress on you and that wasn’t fair. This is just so new to me, and normally I talk to my best friend about this but you are my best friend, but now you’re my girlfriend and I just didn’t know how to bring it up.” She felt Tobin’s thumb stroking the top of her hand, and it anchored her, calmed her. She dropped her eyes to their connected hands. “I turned my problems into a big fight and I’m sorry Tobin. I hate that I did that.”

“Lex,” she heard Tobin say softly. She felt her girlfriend’s hand cup her cheek, and she relished in the soft touch. Tobin’s fingers titled Alex’s head up so she could meet the midfielder’s eyes. Alex peered into the depths of her girlfriend’s eyes, sparkling with the same warmth that engulfed her and made her feel at home. 

“Lex,” Tobin repeated, gently stroking her thumb across Alex’s cheek. She felt her girlfriend wipe away the tears that had managed to escape. “I’m sorry I left. That was really horrible of me.”

Alex shook her head vehemently, not wanting to get into it again with Tobin. She opened her mouth to respond but stopped when Tobin started talking again.

“No, Lex it was,” her girlfriend said, brushing a strand of hair away from Alex’s face. “I shouldn’t have left. I just needed to calm down.” She shrugged her shoulders slightly, and Alex saw Tobin’s mouth twitch into a small smile before it was gone again. “It was the first time we’ve ever really fought and I didn’t know how to handle it either.”

“I shouldn’t have yelled,” Alex said, taking Tobin’s hand from her face and holding it in both hands. She rubbed circles into Tobin’s palm, relaxing both her and her girlfriend by doing so. “I didn’t mean to take my problems out on you.”

“But that’s the thing Alex,” Tobin responded, her other hand dropping to Alex’s knee. She gave it a slight squeeze. “Your problems are my problems. You don’t have to deal with all of this alone.” She removed her hand from Alex’s grasp and pulled the forward in to a hug, Alex taking the moment to bury her head in Tobin’s neck. “We’re a couple now. We can figure this stuff out together. Ok?”

Alex pulled back slightly to nod at her girlfriend’s question. “Ok,” she agreed quietly. 

“And as for the pressure you’re feeling—Lex, I want to help you. All you have to do is ask. I know all eyes are on you, and I know how frustrated you get when you feel like you’re not performing to the best of your abilities.” She gave Alex’s knee another squeeze. “But Alex, you have never played anything other than your best. You try one hundred percent every single time. The goals will come. They’ll come naturally. You know how to put the ball into the back of the net better than anyone I know. So that’ll come.” She rubbed circles on Alex’s knee. “You just have to be patient, and let it happen. Because it will. And you know what?”

“What?” Alex asked, smiling slightly, soothed by her girlfriend’s words and actions.

“There’s no one else I’d rather have in front of me on that field,” Tobin said, giving Alex a kiss on her cheek. “And it’s not just because you have a great ass.”

The last comment was unexpected, and Alex burst out into laughter, the mood in the room immediately lighter. “Oh my god, you’re so horrible.”

Tobin grinned, wiggling her eyebrows. “Ehh, you love it.”

Alex chuckled, shaking her head. She felt more at peace after their talk, and she truly believed Tobin’s words. Tobin was the best person she knew—and she was always honest. She had never lied to Alex before, and she never would. Tobin believed in her, and that was enough—it filled her with warmth and her heart was overflowing with love for her girlfriend, her best friend—her biggest believer. 

Alex sighed, resting her head on Tobin’s shoulder. “I’m still sorry I yelled.”

“And I’m still sorry I walked away.”

Alex shrugged, a small smile appearing on her face. “You came back.”

“I’ll always come back, Al,” Tobin said, her tone serious. “I know we’re going to fight, and sometimes it takes me a little longer to process things. But I’ll come back.”

“I know,” Alex responded. “And I’m also sorry that I said you weren’t being serious enough. You were just trying to calm me down.”

“Maybe I do need to take things a little more seriously,” Tobin said, shrugging.

“No, that’s not—Tobin, you are the perfect amount of serious,” Alex said immediately. “I don’t want you to change because you feel obligated. I like you exactly the way that you are.”

Tobin was silent for a little, and Alex could tell she was mulling something over. “But I…want to change for you,” Tobin said slowly. “Not like, change who I am. But I want to do things better, for you. With you. I don’t want you to feel like I’m not taking our relationship seriously.” Alex watched her girlfriend fiddle with her shorts, picking away a loose string. “Or that I’m taking it for granted,” Tobin added on.

“That is not at all what I was thinking,” Alex said. She really needed Tobin to understand that Alex’s words were said out of anger, not wishful thinking. “I know you take this seriously Tobin, but that doesn’t mean you have to be serious. You show me everyday how seriously you take our relationship.” She placed her hand on the back of Tobin’s neck, playing with the loose hairs there. “All of the little things you do for me Tobin, I just…I know. I know how you feel. You don’t need to act more serious though. I fell for you, all of you—and that includes your chill demeanor. If anything I need to lighten up a bit.”

Tobin disagreed with Alex this time. “No, you’re perfect the way you are.”

Alex smiled, shaking her head slightly. “Let’s just agree that we’re going to change as we grow,” she said. She thought about all of the steps forward her and Tobin had taken in their friendship, and then in their relationship. “Change is gonna happen, Tobs. But we get to change together and I think that’s the best thing I could ask for.” She sighed and stood up, stretching her arms above her head, muscles slightly stiff from being in the same position for so long. She bent down and placed a lingering kiss on Tobin’s forehead, relishing in the scent of her girlfriend. Alex felt Tobin let out a sigh, and straightened up with a smile. 

“So…are we ok now?” Tobin asked, almost hesitantly.

“We were never not ok, Tobs,” Alex replied. “We just had a fight. But we’re always going to be ok.” She reached her hand out in front of Tobin. “Come on babe, let’s get out of this room and get some fresh air.”

Tobin grinned at the pet name she secretly loved Alex calling her, and took the outstretched hand, standing up. Alex took a step back as Tobin quickly stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Alex’s waist. Caught off guard, but pleasantly surprised, Alex wrapped her arms around Tobin’s neck. 

“Hey, we just had our first fight,” Tobin said, the corner of her lips quirking up.

Alex’s own lips turned up into a small smile. “We did,” she said, nodding her head. 

“We can knock out another first right now too,” Tobin replied.

Alex raised her eyebrow in question, and then Tobin was kissing her.

Tobin was kissing her softly, slowly, almost reassuring Alex that she was here. Alex sighed into the kiss, feeling Tobin’s fingers lightly grazing her hips. Their lips molded together and Tobin’s grip became a little tighter around Alex’s waist as their kiss became deeper. She pulled back slightly and rested her forehead against Tobin’s. “How about that walk,” she asked, words coming out softly.

“In a minute,” Tobin replied just as quietly, leaning in to capture Alex’s lips once more. “First makeup kiss,” she mumbled against Alex’s mouth, making Alex grin. Her grin quickly turned to a groan as Tobin’s tongue traced against Alex’s lip, and she granted her girlfriend access right away. The kiss was becoming more passionate, and Alex felt the depth of Tobin’s feelings, their apologies blending together as the space between them became nonexistent. 

“How about in a hour, actually,” Tobin said breathlessly when they parted. 

She wiggled her eyebrows and jumped onto the bed, landing flat on her back. Alex giggled at her girlfriend’s antics, as Tobin beckoned Alex towards the bed with her hand. 

Alex grinned in response to the look on Tobin’s face, the smile she loved so much on full display. Unable to resist the pull of her girlfriend’s magical smile, it was Alex’s turn to leap. 

Both feet, Alex, she thought to herself.

She landed next to Tobin and pulled her girlfriend closer, leaning in.

Makeup kiss indeed.


	11. Chapter 11

Alex scored.

Tobin couldn’t stop smiling even if she wanted to.

She never doubted Alex would score. 

Alex scores. It’s what she does. Alex Morgan is a goal scorer. 

Almost as wonderful as the goal, was the hug Tobin received after it.

When the ball met the back of the net, Tobin braced herself for what came next. She knew Alex was headed her way, because Alex was coming to her first.

Alex always looked for her first. 

She caught her leaping girlfriend, wrapping her arms around Alex’s waist as the forward’s legs wrapped around Tobin. 

“You did it Al!” Tobin shouted, and felt their teammates surrounding them, arms embracing them from all sides. They had taken a 1-0 lead against Columbia, and Tobin couldn’t help but drop a kiss against Alex’s neck, still holding her up with her arms. “I knew you would,” she said into her girlfriend’s ear.

Alex smiled and leaned back, landing on her feet. “You believed in me first, babe,” she shouted, still grinning. She shot Tobin a wink that had the midfielder laughing, and they parted ways to go back to their spots.

Tobin grinned, knowing there was no way they were losing this game. 

Alex Morgan had scored, and everything was as it should be.

* *

They emerge victorious against Columbia, the final score 2-0—Alex’s goal ended up being the game-winner. 

Alex ended up in the arms of Abby when the final whistle blew, feeling the need to be closer to her mentor. They had made it through to the quarter-finals, and were only three more wins away from raising that coveted trophy above their heads. 

“Great job, Baby Horse,” Abby said, grinning and pulling Alex into her side. “Told you the goals would come.”

“Yeah, yeah, you know everything,” Alex said, rolling her eyes but smiling just as big as Abby. The two trailed behind the rest of the team, heading into the locker room all chatting happily. She stopped before they entered the chaotic atmosphere that was the locker room. “Abby, we’re going to do this. I’m going to do this for you.”

Abby smiled, placing her hands on Alex’s shoulders. “Al, I want you to do this for yourself too. It’s your time.”

Alex shook her head. “I know but Abby…sometimes I don’t think you know what you mean to me.”

And it was true. Alex was forever grateful for Abby. 

Abby, who took Alex under her wing when she first got the call up.

Who never hesitated to put in the extra hours to help Alex practice.

Who inspires Alex to be the best she can be, because yes, Alex tries one hundred percent of the time—that’s just the athlete and competitor in her—but being around someone like Abby gives her all the more inspiration to go that extra mile.

Yes, Alex has had other idols, other people she looked to for inspiration, but Abby was the first one who took the time to interact with her one-on-one, who paved the way for Alex to become the player she is today.

“You are so important to me,” Alex said, trying to convey all of her emotions.

“Al,” Abby said, pulling her into a hug. “I know. Don’t worry about it. I know.” She pulled back, placing a hand on top of Alex’s head. “You keep on keeping on, ok? We’ve still got a lot of soccer left to play.”

Alex nodded, satisfied that she had time to show Abby how big of a role she played in the young forward’s life. Grinning, she spun Abby around and hopped onto her back, laughing as Abby caught her with a grunt.

“Jeez Al, a little warning next time?” Abby asked, pushing the door to the locker room open.

“Where’s the fun in that?” Alex retorted, smile growing larger at the sound of her teammates’ happy tones and laughter. 

“Alright, here’s your stop Al,” Abby said, stopping in front of Alex’s locker. She rolled her eyes fondly at her young teammate before giving her a wink, and walked over to her own locker. 

Alex sat down in front of her locker, basking in the conversations of her teammates around her. She took her time changing, the rest of her teammates leaving in groups. She felt a presence plop down in the vacant seat next to her.

Her lips curled into a smile as she received a kiss on the cheek.

“Sup dude, you almost ready?”  
Alex turned to her girlfriend, admiration shining in her eyes. She didn’t know why her heart fluttered whenever Tobin called her dude—maybe it was the tone of voice the midfielder said it in, or maybe it was simply because it was Tobin addressing her—but she had never considered dude a pet name until it came from Tobin. 

“Let’s tell Jill tonight, and the rest of the team,” she said decisively. 

Tobin, a bit taken aback by her girlfriend’s declaration, took a second to process what Alex had just said. “Yeah?” Tobin asked, smiling.

“Yeah. I want to be able to kiss you after we win that trophy,” Alex said, breathlessly. “I don’t want to have to wait until nobody is around. I just want to be with you.”

Tobin grinned and reached out to grab Alex’s chair, dragging it until Alex’s thigh was flush against Tobin’s. She swooped in and kissed the forward, cupping the back of her girlfriend’s neck. Alex responded immediately, dropping her hand to Tobin’s thigh, giving it a squeeze.

“I want that too, Al,” Tobin said when they broke apart, eyes shining. “So much.

Alex grinned at her girlfriend, giving her another kiss, this time softer, more gentle, than the last. 

“Good. I’ll ask Jill if we can meet with her and the coaching staff before dinner tomorrow,” Alex replied. She grabbed Tobin’s hand and stood up, Tobin following. “But if we don’t get going, the bus is going to leave without us.”

Tobin mock gasped, but continued to walk next to Alex. She put her arm around Alex’s waist, pulling her closer to her. “They wouldn’t leave without _Alex Morgan_.” The midfielder lowered her voice, ducking her head to whisper in Alex’s ear. “I heard she’s like, some sort of hotshot or something. Scored a goal and everything today.”

Alex laughed, loving the way Tobin can so easily make her smile. “You’re a dork,” she said fondly, and they approached the bus, laughing and smiling together.

* *

“What are you doing after you’re done here?” Ali asked, twisting her torso around to look at her teammates.

“Our parents are in town and they want to take us out to lunch,” Alex responded, stretching her knee to her chest. 

“You’re having lunch with both of your parents?” Kelley asked incredulously.

“Yeah…why?” Alex responded, brows furrowing.

Tobin joined the group, lowering slowly into the pool. “I told her we shouldn’t do both sets of parents at the same time,” she said, shaking her head. 

“And I told you that it would be fine,” Alex responded, leaning over to give her girlfriend a kiss on the cheek.

“I’m sure it won’t be bad,” Ali said. “Ashlyn and I go out to dinner with both of our parents all the time.”

“You’ve also been dating for like, a billion years,” Kelley pointed out.

“It’s been four years, genius,” Ali retorted, sticking her tongue out at Kelley.

“I am a genius. I went to Stanford,” Kelley pointed out.

“Fuck Stanford,” Alex muttered automatically.

“Language!” Tobin exclaimed, grinning at her girlfriend. She knew she should step in now, because Tobin saw Kelley opening her mouth to respond to Alex’s statement, which would lead to an argument (the same argument they have every single time Cal or Stanford is mentioned, causing Tobin to roll her eyes and all she could do was try to stop this argument before it started for everyone’s sake), and the pool they were in could only lead to a splash fight that Tobin really didn’t want to be in the middle of (she knows this from prior experience). “Anyways, back to the parents thing. I just feel it would have been less stressful if we had taken them on one at a time. But now they outnumber us. That means a higher chance of them ganging up on us.”

“Babe, what exactly do you think is going to happen?” Alex asked, quirking her eyebrow at her girlfriend.

“Dude,” Tobin deadpanned. “So many things could happen. My mom travels with a handheld packet size of like, pictures of me from K through college.”

“All the more reason to go,” Alex responded, sticking her tongue out at her girlfriend.

“Did you just call your girlfriend dude?” asked Kelley, turning to look at the couple.

“Dude, that album has literally all of my Halloween pictures from ages two to twelve. This is not something I want your parents to see,” Tobin continued, ignoring Kelley’s question.

“Seriously—dude?” Kelley asked again.

“Look, I was going to see them eventually, right? Might as well get it over with now,” Alex reasoned. 

“I just feel like they’ll have a lot of questions and it would have been easier to answer them when they didn’t outnumber us,” Tobin replied.

“I disagree. I think it’ll be easier to get it over with in one shot,” Alex countered.

“Dude?” they heard Kelley ask again, pointedly ignoring her.

“Tobs, you love your parents, right?” Alex asked, also ignoring Kelley.

“Yes,” Tobin said, nodding her head in agreement. 

“And you like my parents, right?” Alex questioned.

“Yup,” Tobin agreed. 

“Then it’ll be fine,” Alex soothed. They reached the edge of the pool and both hopped out, grabbing towels, ignoring Kelley turning to Ali asking if Ashlyn ever called her dude. “Look, we love our parents. And our parents love us. We’re going to have a good time.”

Tobin sighed. “I know.” She wrapped her towel around Alex, pulling her in closer. “It’s just, this is the first time I’ve introduced my parents to someone I’m really serious about.” She lowered her voice, aware of her their friends still in the pool. “Someone…someone I could spend the rest of my life with.” She grinned shyly at the kiss on the cheek she received from her girlfriend. “I guess I’m just nervous.”

“Babe, I’m nervous too,” Alex said, giving the midfielder a short kiss before grabbing their shirts, handing one to Tobin. “Are there going to be embarrassing stories? Yes. Will there be awkward moments? Maybe. Will we wish we could drink alcohol? Probably.” She bumped Tobin’s hip with her own, and they walked out of the pool area towards the lobby, to the call of Kelley and Ali’s goodbyes (see you later tonight, dudes, Kelley had yelled, causing Alex roll her eyes and stick her tongue out at her best friend). “But we’re going to have a good time. And besides, we have team dinner tonight, so even if in the one in bazillion chance we have a horrible time, at least we have that to look forward to.”

“Where we will have more teasing and embarrassment to look forward to after we tell them,” Tobin pointed out, wrapping an arm around Alex’s shoulders. “Great.”

“Ehh, they’re family,” Alex responded, reaching up and intertwining her fingers with Tobin’s hand over her shoulder. “What are ya gonna do?”

* *

“You ready for this?”

“You look really pretty today.”

“Aww. Thanks.

“You’re welcome.”

“But I know what you’re doing. Stop stalling.”

“…”

“Ok, really, you ready for this?”

Tobin took a deep breath, grabbing Alex’s hand for reassurance.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she responded, turning her head to smile at her girlfriend.

“Both feet, Tobs,” Alex said, grinning. She opened the door, leading her girlfriend into the restaurant. Her eyes lit up as she spotted her parents, sitting next to Cindy and Jeff. “C’mon babe, there they are,” she said, tightening her grip on Tobin’s hand and walking a little faster.

“—she ran around the living room, butt naked, telling everyone that she was going to become a soccer player!” Alex and Tobin heard Pam say, the table erupting into laughter.

Alex groaned, knowing the story her mother was referring to. The same one she had begged her mom to never repeat. 

“Alex!” “Tobin!”

The soccer players’ face lit up with smiles as their respective parents noticed the girls approaching the table.

“Hi mom, hi daddy,” Alex said, being pulled into a hug by both of her parents.

“Hey ma,” Tobin said, hugging her mom and giving her a kiss on the cheek. “What’s up pop,” she grinned, wrapping her arms around her dad.

Everyone sat back down, Tobin and Alex taking the last two seats at the table, completing the circular dining table they were sitting at. 

“Mom, how is it that you’ve only been in Canada for an hour and you’re already telling embarrassing stories about me?” Alex asked, turning her head to look at her mother.

“Oh, don’t worry Alex, your mother was just telling us a story in return for the one we told about Tobin which involved a skateboard, an umbrella, and a homemade ramp,” Cindy said, the adults all chuckling.

“Do I…want to know?” Alex asked, turning to question her girlfriend.

Tobin groaned, face in the palm of her hands. “Oh my god, you try to fly _one_ time when you’re eight and the story gets told at every family gathering…” she said, voice slightly muffled by her hands.

“Oh Tobin you were such a cute little girl though!” Pam exclaimed, smiling at the couple.

“Let me guess,” Tobin said, head still in her hands. “Mom already broke out the mini photo album.”

“Well we ran into each other checking into the hotel and had drinks before coming here,” Cindy defended, chuckling at her daughter’s antics.

“Aww babe, chin up,” said Alex, stifling her laughter. She put on a sympathetic face as Tobin lifted her head from her hands, her eyes finding her girlfriend’s. She pouted at the laughter Alex unsuccessfully covered as a cough. “You were a cute kid, Tobs,” Alex continued. She leaned over and gave Tobin a light kiss, and the midfielder couldn’t help the smile that appeared on her face.

“You two are so cute!” Pam squealed, clapping her hands together excitedly. Cindy made a noise of agreement, both mothers staring at the couple.

“You know, I’m not even really surprised though,” Mike said, grinning and leaning back in his seat. “Ali-Cat was moping around the house the last time she came home to visit because Tobin couldn’t come back with her.”

Jeff let out a laugh, a grin of his own erupting on his face. “Last time Tobin was home, she was glued to her cell phone and when I asked her what was so important, she just said Alex. I think that was our first of many clues that this was eventually going to happen.”

“Ok, how about we stop telling embarrassing stories and order something to eat?” Tobin said abruptly, looking around for the waiter. 

“Sounds good to me,” Alex agreed, reaching underneath the table and dropping her hand on Tobin’s leg, giving it a squeeze.

“Honey, we can tell embarrassing stories _while_ we eat too,” Pam said, smirking at her daughter.

“Oh, let me tell you about the time Tobin tried to be all of the Power Rangers at once, and she even wrote a little play…” Cindy said, turning to Pam.

“Oh my—dude, you said it wouldn’t be that bad,” Tobin complained, turning towards her girlfriend.

Alex just shrugged, though she had a smile spread across her face. Sitting here with her girlfriend and both of their families felt natural, and despite the stories being swapped between the parents (mom, please for the love of all that is holy, do not tell them the tadpole incident), she couldn’t think of anywhere she’d rather be. So she gave her girlfriend another short kiss, and tuned into the conversation happening around them. 

* *

“So, not that bad, right?” Alex asked.

The couple were walking down the street, headed back to the hotel. 

Tobin scoffed, shaking her head. “Lex, our parents were literally beginning to plan our wedding near the end of lunch.”

Alex just laughed in response.

“Lex, did you hear me? Our wedding. Our _non-existent_ wedding.”

More laughter. 

“Lex, they were trying to decide what type of flowers would look best with the beach setting. Lex—dude, are you listening to me?”

Alex was laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes. Tobin sighed, reaching down and grabbing her girlfriend’s hand. “At least your dad didn’t interrogate me.”

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Alex chuckled, intertwining her fingers with Tobin’s. “Oh babe, my dad was never going to interrogate you.”

“I thought you said to be prepared,” Tobin whined.

“Yeah, but I wasn’t talking about my dad. I was talking about Jen and Jeri,” Alex said, trying to keep her tone nonchalant.

Tobin faltered in her steps, something that didn’t go unnoticed by her girlfriend. “What…I don’t—”

“I’m just kidding babe,” said Alex through her laughter. “They already love you. And I already told them about us and they’re really happy for us.”

“You’re mean,” Tobin pouted. “I ought to sic Per and Jeff on you.”

“Please, your siblings love me.”

Tobin exaggerated her pout. “I know. How frustrating.”

The two stood staring at each other, one with a pout on her face and the other with a smirk, until they both burst out into laughter once more.

Tobin sighed happily, bringing Alex’s hand up to her lips and kissing the back of it. She was completely and utterly in bliss. She once read somewhere that the key to happiness is to find someone who you can laugh through life with—and laughing with Alex was all she wanted to do forever. Seeing the smile on Alex’s face, those blue eyes sparkling with happiness—yes, Tobin could get used to that for the rest of her life. 

The two walked back to the hotel in a comfortable silence, content in just being with one another.

* *

“Ok, this is not big deal. We survived our parents. And we made it out of there with our sanity intact and they were nothing but happy for us.”

Tobin gave her girlfriend an incredulous look. “Lex, remember that part where they were _planning our wedding_?”

“Abby was nothing but happy for us. Kelley is rooting for us. Lauren and Amy are excited about it. Ash and Ali are being supportive. This should be a cinch.”

“My mom literally texted me about having the wedding in between the end of NWSL and the Olympics so all of our teammates could attend,” Tobin replied, waving her arms around in the air.

“Plus it hasn’t affected our playing so there’s nothing to worry about.”

Tobin shoved her phone in front of Alex’s face. “She just said we could talk about it when we come down for Thanksgiving. I literally cannot make this stuff up.”

“Ok, we can do this. No need to be nervous.” Alex turned to her girlfriend, eyes determined. She gave Tobin a decisive nod, to which the midfielder just rolled her eyes (because seriously Al, how is it you aren’t freaking out about the hypothetical wedding our moms seem to already have planned, to which Alex responded with more laughter).

Alex opened the door to the conference room and saw Jill already sitting at the table, pouring over a notebook. She gave her girlfriend a light shove through the doorway and followed, closing the door behind her.

“Hello Alex, Tobin,” Jill said, smiling.

“Hi,” Alex said, and Tobin gave a wave. “Thanks for meeting with us before dinner.”

“It’s not a problem,” Jill hummed. She leaned back and gestured to the open seats across from her. “Have a seat. What can I do for you?”

“It’s not exactly anything we need,” Alex started, sitting down and pulling Tobin into the chair next to her. “We just wanted to inform you about the…uhhh…the nature of our relationship.”

“Oh?” Jill asked, quirking her eyebrow. She looked between her midfielder and forward, both looking a little nervous—not something she was used to seeing on their faces.

“Alex and I are dating,” Tobin blurted out, gripping the arms of her chair. 

The room was silent for a minute, Tobin’s words sinking in.

“We wanted to tell you because we don’t want to keep secrets,” Alex said when the silence became too much. “We respect you too much for that, and we respect this team just as much.”

More silence. Jill leaned forward, her elbows on the table, fingers interlocked.

Alex opened her mouth to say more when Jill broke the silence. “Well, I can’t say that I didn’t see this coming,” she said, grinning. “I’m very happy for the two of you.”

Alex released the breath she didn’t know she was holding. “Thank you so much Jill. It means a lot to hear you say that. And this won’t in affect our professionalism or our performance and—”

“I’m going to stop you right there, Alex,” Jill said, holding her hand up. “I know.” She smiled at the two, seeing the nervousness disappear from their faces. “You two are nothing if not professional. And if your performance is indicative to nature of your guys’ new relationship, then it seems it can only help. I’ve always asked one hundred percent of the two of you, and you never fail to deliver.” 

Tobin nodded her head before looking at Alex, the two of them having a silent conversation.

“Thank you Jill,” Tobin responded for the both of them. “We also wanted to tell you because…well, we were hoping to tell the team tonight.”

“They’re going to be thrilled,” Jill replied, nodding her head. 

“We hope so,” Tobin said. “But we bring it up because...well…we don’t want to take any focus away from the team.”

“We’ve all worked so hard to get here—all twenty-three of us,” Alex continued. “We want to be open about our relationship, but because of the…umm…unnaturally high interest in my private life—”

Jill chuckled, interrupting Alex. “You mean the way the media scrutinizes you both on and off the pitch.”

“Yes, that,” Alex replied, glad Jill understood. “All it takes is one picture posted online, and the story would blow up. Which is not something we need right before the quarter-finals. The focus should stay on the team—we’ve been dreaming about this our entire lives.”

Jill nodded, silent for a moment. Tobin and Alex sat across from her, their nerves a little calmer now that Jill knew of their relationship and approved.

“Well, I see your point, and I commend you for taking the team into consideration,” Jill began.

“Of course,” Tobin said quickly. “They’re family.”

Jill grinned, continuing. “That being said, I think it’ll be fine—just continue on as you have been. I’m not saying keep it a secret, but maybe just be aware of your surroundings, as you are now. If the media gets wind of it, then they get wind of it. You don’t have to answer any questions that are not related to soccer.” She crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair. “Like I said, you two are professionals. As are the rest of your teammates. You all know that we’re hear to play soccer. If the media asks you something about your relationship, you don’t have to answer. You are soccer players first and foremost.” She nodded her head, as if just deciding something. “The press conferences are monitored, and I’m certain heading into the quarter-finals the serious media coverage will focus on just that.”

Tobin nodded her head, listening to what her coach was saying. She saw out of the corner of her eye Alex doing the same thing. “Of course. We haven’t lost sight of what we’re here to do,” Tobin agreed. “And obviously Alex and I are not going to bring our romantic relationship onto the pitch.”

“I know,” Jill said, smiling at the two players in front of her. “Just keep going on as you were. I trust the two of you to do what’s best for yourself, and also for the team.”

“Thank you so much,” Alex said. She and Tobin stood up. “Now we just have to go tell the rest of the team.”

Tobin groaned. 

Jill chuckled, closing her notebook. “Good luck with that. I’ll give you two a few minutes before the coaching staff joins you all.”

She watched the couple walk out of the room, bantering back and forth. She smiled to herself, glad that two of her favorite players were able to find happiness with one another.

* *

“Any wedding jokes and I’m outta there,” Tobin warned, coming to a stop before the entrance to the dining area.

“You know, you’re making lots of jokes about our future wedding babe,” Alex said, humming to herself. “Are you trying to tell me something?”

“What—no!” Tobin exclaimed.

Alex frowned. “So you mean you don’t want to get married?”

“What? No, that’s not what I said!” Tobin backtracked.

“So you are planning our future wedding then? Wow, we’ve only been together for like a month Tobs,” Alex said, struggling to keep her face straight.

“No! Oh my—no, I just meant—because—my mom! And your mom! And flowers—”

Alex couldn’t help it—she burst into laughter. “Oh my god,” she wheezed. “You are soooo easy babe.”

“Wha—hey, that’s not—” Tobin sputtered, searching for the right words. “You know, you’ve been laughing at me a lot today,” she pouted, crossing her arms.

“You’re just so funny, Tobs,” Alex said, grinning. She gave her girlfriend a quick kiss to placate her, then grabbed her hand and pushed the door open, Tobin’s scoff drowned out by the sudden chatter of their teammates.

Alex spotted Kelley sitting with Lauren and Amy, and led Tobin to the table. She sat down, flicking Kelley on the side of the head in greeting.

“Ow! You looking to throw down fisticuffs, Morgan?” Kelley growled, rubbing her head.

“Fisticuffs?” Amy asked, blinking.

“Kelley found Anchorman on my laptop earlier and watched it after recovery,” Ashlyn said, approaching the table and sitting down next to Kelley. She rolled her eyes as Kelley stuck her tongue out at the goalkeeper. 

“You were laughing just as hard as her Ash,” Ali added, sitting down next to Ashlyn. 

Ashlyn pouted, causing the table to laugh. When the laughter died down, Ali turned to Alex and Tobin. “So how was lunch with your parents?”

“It went well,” Alex responded, taking a sip of water. “You know, besides the whole marriage thing.”

“You guys are getting married??” Lauren and Amy shouted at the same time.

“Oh my god, you guys, NO. And keep your voices down please,” Tobin whispered.

Alex laughed again, thinking of her and Tobin’s previous conversation. Tobin pointedly ignored her girlfriend, addressing their friends again. “Our moms are just crazy. We literally just got together.”

Amy shrugged, glancing between Tobin and Alex. “Well I don’t know. I mean you guys were practically together for like a year before actually getting together.”

Tobin rolled her eyes, opening her mouth to retort before being cut off by her girlfriend. “Babe, the coaching staff is coming soon. We should probably tell them now.

“Tell who what?” Kelley asked curiously, the rest of the table leaning in to tune into the couple’s conversation.

“Should we just stand up and say it?” Tobin asked, once again ignoring Kelley.

“Say what?” Kelley repeated.

Alex shrugged. “I don’t know. It would be easier to tell everyone instead of going table by table, obviously.”

“Tell everyone what?” Kelley asked a little more loudly.

“Your call dude,” Tobin responded, resting her arm on the back of Alex’s chair.

“Well let’s just tell them together,” Alex replied, leaning in closer to her girlfriend.

“Tell them what?” Kelley was practically shouting by now, the rest of the table having dissolved in a fit of laughter as the couple continued to ignore Kelley.

“How about—”

“EXCUSE ME,” Kelley bellowed, and the room became quiet. 

Alex and Tobin both looked over to their friend, finding her standing on top of her chair. The couple looked around the room and noticed the rest of their teammates also staring at Kelley. “Tell us what?” Kelley asked again.

Tobin groaned and let her forehead drop to the table. Alex chuckled at her girlfriend’s behavior and motioned for Kelley to sit down. Kelley did so reluctantly, and Alex stood up, pulling on Tobin’s arm until she was standing as well.

“Tobin and I have an announcement to make,” Alex said, clearing her throat. She locked eyes with Abby from across the room, and at the grin and slight nod of her mentor’s head, she smiled. “Tobs?”

Tobin took in the smiling faces of all of their teammates, conscious of all the eyes on them. “Oh what the hell,” Tobin said, throwing her hands up in the air. She slung her arm over Alex’s shoulder and pulled her girlfriend in close. “Alex and I are dating.” She felt Alex place a kiss on her cheek, and turned her head to smile at her girlfriend.

The room was silent for a second, and then erupted in a symphony of sound. 

Megan and Syd were clinking their water glasses with a knife, Kling and Morgan joining them. HAO was bouncing around from Becky to Hope to Carli, holding her palm out and demanding her winnings. Alex and Tobin were soon surrounded by their smiling teammates, all expressing their happiness for the couple. 

Tobin’s heart burst with love, and she felt an overwhelming amount of gratefulness for the twenty-three girls in the room. Alex was answering as many questions as she could, and Lauren and Amy were laughing behind her, taking it all in. She saw Kelley entertaining a group of their teammates, hearing her spout something about a plan and a poster board. Ashlyn and Ali were sitting together, the goalkeeper’s arm wrapped around the defender’s shoulders. 

She looked back towards Alex, whose blue eyes were shining with what suspiciously looked like tears.

“I love you guys,” Tobin said loudly, not being able to hold it in anymore. “You’re the best friends we could have asked for.”

“We love you too, Tobito!” Syd yelled, launching herself at the couple and pulling them into a hug. 

The team continued to chat happily, not returning to their tables until Alex and Tobin promised to tell the story of how they got together (no Kelley, they want to hear the real story, not something that only happened in your imagination, Ashlyn had said, to which Kelley responded by pulling out a miniature version of the poster board, and seriously Kelley how the hell do you have time to make those, Alex had question, at the same time Tobin asked why she took the time to make those, causing Kelley to launch into another long-winded explanation about the importance of her role in making Talex happen).

The food came out shortly after (thank god), cutting Kelley off. After grabbing food, the girls all settled into their own conversations, the whole team in a happy mood. 

“So Tobs, when’s the wedding?” HAO called out from the table next to theirs.

The sound of Tobin smacking her forehead against the table was drowned out by Alex’s laughter.


	12. Chapter 12

The game against China was different.

Lauren and Megan weren’t in the starting lineup—they weren’t even on the bench, but when Tobin looked up to the stands and saw the two of them waving at the team, she knew it was going to be ok.

Despite losing two of their starters, Tobin knew the team was capable of winning regardless—it wasn’t anything she felt she could put into words, really (though when the media asked, she would try her best, but she didn’t mention the fire, the hunger, the desire she could feel pulsing through her bones that became stronger as they got closer and closer to that final game). 

They win 1-0, and the dominant, fierce Carli Lloyd that everyone knew was waiting to burst forth all tournament secured them the win. 

The team was fired up. 

Tobin was fired up. 

She knew Alex was fired up (and even if she hadn’t known that, the fierce kiss her girlfriend had given her in the locker room, to the whistles and hollers of their teammates surely would have reminded her).

After Alex had released her, Ashlyn slapped Tobin on the back, wiggling her eyebrows at the midfielder as HAO, Kelley, Pinoe and Syd continued their horribly pitched rendition of Pony.

“So, how about that lunch date we haven’t had yet?” Ashlyn asked.

“I’m flattered Ash, but I don’t think our girlfriends would approve,” Tobin answered, a deadpanned expression on her face.

“Shut up Toby, you know what I meant. Tomorrow?” Ashlyn asked, rolling her eyes. 

“Hmm, I’ll have to ask Alex if she wants to dine with an older couple tomorrow,” Tobin replied, bringing a hand up to her chin, making a thinking face.

Ashlyn snorted. “I’m going to tell Ali you called her old.”

“No, wait—I was kidding!” Tobin said, eyes wide. “Tomorrow. Yup. Lunch. Sounds good. I’ll tell Al.”

Ashlyn laughed. “Yeah, ok,” she said, walking back to her own locker. “But I’m still telling Ali you called her old!”

Tobin groaned, her head thudding against the side of her locker. 

She had seen Ali mad before, and well—let’s just say she didn’t want to be on the receiving end of _that_ furious “Princess Glare”, as the team had dubbed it. 

“Tob, stop hitting your head against things,” she heard her girlfriend say behind her. “Unless it’s a soccer ball.”

Tobin lifted her head and looked over her shoulder at Alex, breath hitching at her girlfriend’s appearance. Alex was just wearing her travel suit, bag slung over her shoulder, but she was still beautiful. And she never failed to take Tobin’s breath away.

“What?” Alex asked, noticing her girlfriend had halted her movements. 

“Nothing,” Tobin replied, stepping closer to Alex. “You’re just really beautiful.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere, babe,” Alex teased, leaning in closer and giving Tobin a soft kiss. 

Tobin responded in kind, reveling in the feeling of Alex’s lips on her own. When they broke apart, she gave an exaggerated sigh, pulling back slightly and leaning against her locker, acting dizzy as she slid down until she was sitting on the floor. 

Alex laughed at her girlfriend’s antics, shaking her head. “I’ll see you on the bus Tobs,” she said. She leaned down and gave Tobin a quick kiss on her forehead. “Don’t take to long.”

Tobin grinned, nodding her head. She turned around and starting packing her bag. Heaving it onto her shoulder, she walked out of the locker room, slinging her arm around Moe and inserting herself in Moe and Kling’s debate about tacos versus burritos. 

She honestly had the best job in the world. 

* *

“In summation, the monetary transaction is far less than the practical—nay, _logistical_ —gain of this exchange that could only serve to further improve our already perfect cohabitation.”

Alex had her hand over her mouth, trying her best not to let the laughter bubbling in her throat slip out. Tobin had no such reservations, and was cracking up, hand on her forehead. Ali, who was much more used to her girlfriend’s antics, was staring at Ashlyn with an eyebrow quirked, fighting the smile threatening to appear on her face.

Ashlyn, who very pointedly ignored Tobin’s laughter and Alex’s giggling, continued to keep eye contact with her girlfriend, waiting for an answer.

“Ash! We travel too much!”

“After the World Cup and the Olympics, our schedules won’t be as crazy! We’ll be home more often,” Ashlyn said in a pleading voice.

“It’s just not practical for us to get a dog right now!” Ali said, laughing at her girlfriend’s exaggerated pout. 

At this point, Alex had joined Tobin in laughing loudly—probably far too loudly than the restaurant they were dining in thought appropriate—but their friends were just so entertaining.

“We can revisit the topic when we get back to D.C., babe,” Ali said, giving Ashlyn’s hand a pat. “I promise.”

“Fine,” Ashlyn grumbled. She turned her head to scowl at the couple sitting across the table. “Oh, shut up you two. It’s not funny.”

“We’re sorry Ash,” Alex said through her laughter, ignoring Tobin’s faint “I’m not!” 

“It’s just—you looked so serious when you were laying out the benefits of getting a puppy just now,” Alex continued. 

“And where did you learn words like ‘summation’ and ‘transaction’?” Tobin added, still chuckling.

Ashlyn scowled harder at Tobin. “Shut up, Toby. We went to the same college.”

“Well it wasn’t any Penn State,” Ali chimed in.

“And neither of those are Cal,” Alex said, not missing a beat.

“Ok yes, we all went to college and got our degrees, congrats to us,” Ashlyn said, rolling her eyes. “Anyways, you two are witnesses to this conversation. Ali promised we would talk about getting a puppy when we get home. Now I have proof.”

“I promise,” Ali said again. “Seriously.”

Tobin chuckled, shaking her head. “You might as well get the dog. It would complete the whole white picket fence thing you’ve got going on in D.C.,” she said. 

“I’ll have you know that our fence is actually blue,” Ashlyn replied. 

“To match our shutters,” Ali added. “Ash painted everything the same shade of blue. It came out very nice.”

Ashlyn continued, crossing her arms. “Which you would know if you visited more often,” she finished, raising an accusing eyebrow at Tobin.

“Excuse me, we travel as much as the two of you do,” Tobin said, gesturing to Alex, who was looking on in amusement at the conversation between the two old friends. 

“The next time you’re in D.C. you two can come for dinner,” Ali said, cutting off Ashlyn’s reply and winking at Alex. “We’ll have a nice night in. Another double date. You can stay the night in our newly refurbished guest room!”

“That sounds really great, Ali,” Alex responded, smiling at her friend. “I would offer to put the two of you up in our apartment the next time you’re in Portland but we don’t actually have any extra rooms and if you have access to a hotel instead of our old couch…well, I would take the hotel.”

“I thought your apartment was a two bedroom?” Ashlyn asked.

“Yeah, it is,” Tobin said. “One for each of us.”

“Oh, I assumed the two of you would be moving into one room,” Ashlyn said bluntly. “Ow! Hey!” she exclaimed as Ali whacked her on the shoulder. 

“Ash!” 

“What?” the goalkeeper asked, turning her head to meet the glare Ali was giving her. She turned back to Alex and Tobin, who were both pointedly looking at their plates. 

“Can you for once use some sort of filter?” Ali asked.

Alex couldn’t help but giggle at the couple’s antics, and she turned her head slightly to meet Tobin’s shining eyes, her girlfriend also chuckling. Tuning out Ashlyn and Ali’s bickering, she reached underneath the table and gave Tobin’s thigh a light squeeze. 

Alex hadn’t really thought about what would happen when they got back to Portland. So caught up in their newfound relationship, Alex failed to remember that they sort of live together (not sort of, they definitely live together, and if she’s being honest, the two of them are already as domestic as some couples who have been together for years—they take turns cooking, well actually Alex cooks and Tobin cleans because Tobin is well-traveled and may know about a bunch of different cuisines but she’s hopeless when it comes to actually cooking anything, they have movie nights, they spend more nights falling asleep together in one of their beds than they spend alone, and there are a bunch of post-it notes posted around the house, filled with Tobin’s puns and Alex’s doodles and messages to one another that seem to only make sense to the two of them—and she would be lying if she said she didn’t love the domesticity of it all). Suddenly, Alex got excited about the prospect of officially sharing a bed, one of them properly moving into the other’s room. Or they could even find a new place together if they wanted. She grinned widely, which didn’t go unnoticed by Tobin.

“What’s up dude?” Tobin asked, nudging Alex’s shoulder with her own.

Alex leaned over and gave Tobin a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll tell you later,” she said softly, and gave her smiling girlfriend another quick kiss before leaning back into her seat. She tuned back into Ali and Ashlyn’s conversation happening across the table.

“—can’t just make assumptions like that, it puts them on the spot,” Ali said, crossing her arms, seemingly finished with her lecture.

“It’s ok, Ali,” Alex responded. “Really.”

“See? Alex says it’s fine,” Ashlyn said, sticking her tongue out at her girlfriend.

“She’s being polite,” the defender replied.

“It’s really ok,” Tobin spoke up. “And the next time you two are in Portland you can definitely stay with us. Don’t worry about it.”

Alex turned to look at her girlfriend, and Tobin caught Alex’s eye and gave her a wink, making Alex smile. They were so in tune that despite Alex not voicing out loud what she was thinking, she somehow knew that Tobin understood—Tobin always understood.

She was knocked out of her reverie when the waiter placed the bill on the table. Ashlyn grabbed the check before Alex or Tobin had a chance to even move, slapping her credit card down and handing it back to their waiter with a smile.

“Ash,” Alex complained. “Not cool. We wanted to treat you two.”

“You guys can get the next one Baby Horse,” Ashlyn said affectionately.

“Aww, you said we,” Ali cooed.

“Umm…are you crying?” Tobin asked hesitantly.

Ali sniffed as Ashlyn rolled her eyes, but wrapped an arm around her girlfriend’s shoulders. “She gets like this sometimes when she’s really happy. Or when something great happens—she gets all weepy.”

“I do not get weepy,” Ali said with a scowl, though her glistening eyes proved otherwise. “I’m just so happy for the two of you. Falling in love with your best friend, it’s just—it’s just the best thing.” 

Ashlyn grinned and placed a kiss on the top of Ali’s head, Tobin and Alex smiling at the action. 

“Here you are, ladies,” the waiter said, appearing at the table once more. “And good luck in the tournament.”

“Thank you,” Alex said kindly as the four of them stood up. Grabbing their jackets, they headed out of the restaurant and out into the street. Alex had a smile on her face the whole way back to the hotel, laughing along with Ali as Tobin and Ashlyn told them a story about their days at UNC.

The four were still laughing as they reached the lobby before splitting up, Alex and Tobin waiting for the elevator and Ali and Ashlyn heading for the stairs.

“That was fun,” Alex said, Tobin humming in agreement. “We should do it again.” 

“Oh, hey!” a voice said as the elevator doors opened.

The couple looked up to see Lauren and Amy step out of the elevator.

“We were actually just coming down here to wait for Tobin,” Amy explained. 

“What’s up?” Tobin asked.

“There’s something I want to talk to you about,” Lauren said, though she had a smile on her face so Alex and Tobin knew it was nothing bad. “Also, there’s a team meeting in the conference room in a half an hour.”

“I’ll see you then babe,” Alex said, giving Tobin a kiss on the cheek and stepping onto the elevator. “I’m gonna go bug Kell until then.”

“Later dude,” Tobin replied happily, ignoring the chuckles of her two friends next to her. 

The elevator doors closed and Alex smiled, resting against the back of the elevator, contemplating the best way to scare Kelley when she got back to the room.

* *

Alex watched her girlfriend enter the room with a forlorn expression on her face. Amy and Lauren trailed behind her, the same sadness apparent on their faces. 

Lauren stopped in front of the room, Tobin and Amy flanking her. Alex saw they were all holding hands, and she wasn’t the only one to notice something was amiss.

“What’s up New Kids?” asked HAO, noticing the uncharacteristic quietness of the three best friends. 

Lauren cleared her throat, giving Amy and Tobin’s hands a squeeze. “I’m retiring after this World Cup.”

The room was quiet, and Alex turned to look at her girlfriend, whose sad expression made sense now.

“But…why?” Moe asked, breaking the silence, voice hoarse.

“I’ve thought a lot about this, and I feel like it’s time,” Lauren said. “There are things I want to do, and I just—” she paused slightly, feeling her eyes get a bit teary. “I have given so much to this game, and gotten so much more in return, but I think it’s time I give back in a different capacity.” She gave a small smile, her eyes sweeping across the room at her teammates—her family. “I love you all and I’m so excited—so grateful—that I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to take this journey with some of the best people I’ve ever met.”

The room was silent still, most trying to comprehend the bomb that was dropped on them, trying to make sense of it all.

In true Christie fashion, she sensed Lauren didn’t want to get into specifics at the moment, and she stood up, clearing her throat. “Well, we’ve still got a World Cup to win, right?”

Lauren smiled gratefully at their captain, nodding her head. “Exactly. No long faces guys. We’ve still got a long ways to go in this tournament,” she said. 

“We’re going to win it,” Moe said, standing. “We’re sending you off with a bang.”

Lauren pulled the younger girl into a hug, laughing. “That’s what I like to hear.”

“Group hug!” Pinoe yelled, wrapping her arms around Hope and Carli sitting next to her and pushing them towards Lauren and Moe in the middle of the room. Syd and Kling soon followed, effectively trapping the usually stoic goalkeeper and midfielder in between them as the other girls piled on, all laughing.

They stood there, arms wrapped around one another until Carli’s muffled voice rang out from the middle of the group.

“Whoever is stroking the skin under my shirt, please stop.”

“Sorry! I thought that was Tobin!”

The team started cracking up, the group hug breaking apart as Tobin doubled over in laughter at sheepish look on her girlfriend’s face.

“Alright guys, we’ve got some free time before team dinner tonight. Make sure you’re back on time,” Abby announced as the team started to file out of the room.

Alex turned to ask Tobin what she wanted to do, stopping when she saw her girlfriend had sat back down. The forward could tell that Tobin’s demeanor had changed rapidly as the rest of the team left. She waited until everyone filed out of the room before approaching. Tobin’s eyes were downcast, and her eyebrows were furrowed with a frown on her face, hands clenched as they rested on her knees.

“Tobs?”

The midfielder looked up, her eyes filled with unshed tears. 

“Oh, sweetheart,” Alex said softly, crouching down, placing her hands on top of Tobin’s. 

“What am I gonna do without Chen?” Tobin choked out, feeling Alex thread her fingers through her own.

Alex’s heart felt heavy at the lost tone of Tobin’s voice. She knew Lauren’s retirement would hit everyone hard, but it would be worse for Tobin and Amy. The three of them had been called up together—the only kids in what felt like a world full of adults. They started their senior national careers together, and had been by each other’s sides for every single milestone since then—good, bad, and everything in between, the New Kids had stuck together.

“Oh sweetie,” Alex said, cupping Tobin’s face. She stroked her thumb along Tobin’s cheek, sighing softly. “I’m sorry.” Tobin brought her hand up to cover Alex’s, giving her girlfriend a watery smile. “Everything is going to be ok, Tobs.”

“I know,” Tobin responded softly. “I’m just—it’s just hard for me to process.”

“You don’t have to work on processing it just yet,” Alex replied. “We’ve still got a World Cup to win. So let’s send Cheney off as a world champion, yeah?”

Tobin nodded, and Alex leaned in, giving her girlfriend a soft kiss. 

“Mmmm, that helps,” the midfielder murmured as Alex pulled away. Alex chuckled, resting her forehead against Tobin’s. A knock against the door broke them out of their little bubble. Alex turned her head to see Amy and Lauren standing in the doorway, smiling at the scene in front of them.

“Hey Lex, can we steal Tobin away for a bit?” Amy asked, Lauren peering over Amy’s shoulder. 

Alex smiled. “Go on,” she said, bumping her forehead softly against Tobin’s. 

“Are you sure?” Tobin asked, thinking of their plans to hang out until dinnertime.

“Go have some quality New Kids time, babe,” Alex said, threading her fingers through Tobin’s hair as she stood up. “I know this is tough on you. And I think you need to spend some time with your best friends.”

Tobin just nodded, arms wrapping around Alex’s face as she buried her head in the forward’s shirt. She stood up after a moment, giving the forward a soft kiss on the cheek. 

“Awwwww,” Lauren and Amy chorused from the doorway, both grinning. Tobin rolled her eyes, but a smile remained on her face as she joined her best friends, her goodbye echoing down the hallway as Lauren and Amy latched onto either side of Tobin.

* *

“Yes.”

“No.”

“YES.”

“NO.”

“Tobin?”

Tobin just continued to drink her water, content with watching her best friends bicker back and forth.

“You’re the deciding factor,” Amy said, looking expectantly at Tobin.

Tobin rolled her eyes at Lauren’s accompanying nod. “Ok first of all, I don’t even know why we’re fighting about this. It’s actually really weird.”

“Just answer the question Toby.”

“Quit stalling.”

Tobin groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Ok, in the hypothetical bridesmaid party of my non-existent wedding with my girlfriend of barely a month, yes—I do believe that no shoes are a viable option if we did, in fact, go with a beach wedding.”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“No, listen, you guys—Alex would never allow no shoes,” Lauren said, crossing her arms. “And I’m totally with her.”

“Ok, guys—”

“You don’t know that Alex would say that we had to wear shoes,” Amy argued, leaning forward and gesturing with her arms to emphasize her point. “If they’re getting married on a beach, then she herself might not even be wearing shoes.”

“You two—”

“Ok, let’s just assume that they are getting married on the beach. That doesn’t necessarily mean it is literally _on the beach_ ,” Lauren replied. “Like, it could be overlooking the beach. Which means that they would be wearing shoes. Bridesmaids included.”

“Hey! Crazies!”

Lauren and Amy paused in their argument, turning their heads to meet Tobin’s incredulous stare. “What?” they asked at the same time.

“Have you two forgotten that Alex and I aren’t actually getting married?” Tobin asked, exasperated. “In fact, this tournament has literally been longer than our relationship.”

“That is neither here nor there, Tobin,” said Amy, dismissing Tobin’s claim with a wave of her hand.

“It’s really just a matter of time,” Lauren agreed.

“You two are as bad as our parents,” Tobin groaned, covering her face with the palm of her hand. “Look, Alex and I are doing really well. But we’ve also just been together throughout this tournament. Surrounded by our teammates.” She sighed and crossed her arms, leaning back in her seat. “Our relationship hasn’t even faced the real world. When we get back to Portland, I don’t know how a change in scenery is going to affect this new thing we have.”

It was silent for a moment as the three friends absorbed what Tobin just said.

“Wow. No wonder you get lost in your head so often, Tobs,” Amy said, breaking the silence. “Those are some deep thoughts you have.”

Tobin grinned, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. 

“But you know that you don’t have to worry about that,” Lauren added. “You and Alex are solid. I mean, yeah, your relationship is new because it’s moved to the romantic side—”

“Because you two are in love,” Amy chimed in, to which Tobin just rolled her eyes.

“—but it’s not like a new relationship where you have to tiptoe around each other because you’re scared to be your true self. You two have been best friends for so long—you already know each other’s authentic self. Now it’s all about everything that comes after.”

“I don’t think I follow…” Tobin said, eyebrows furrowing in confusing. “Authentic self? How would I be anything other than my true self?”

Amy grinned, and Lauren chuckled slightly. “Exactly, Tobs,” Amy said. “You don’t know how to be anything but.”

“And that’s because of who you are Tobin,” Lauren added. “You’re the most authentic person I know. The fact that you can’t even fathom being anything but your real self proves it.”

“Alex is lucky to have you,” Amy sighed, leaning her head against Lauren’s shoulder.

Tobin shook her head, grinning. “Nah, I’m lucky to have her,” she said. 

“You’re lucky to have each other,” Lauren replied, throwing her arm around Tobin’s shoulder and bringing her into her other side.

The trio were silent once more, content in the company of each other.

“I’m going to miss this,” Amy murmured. 

Tobin thought about all they had been through. Lauren and Amy were her rocks, her twin pillars, holding her up. Even before Alex—before her wonderful, beautiful, extraordinary, Alex—there was Lauren and Amy. 

Meeting her two best friends was something she was thankful for everyday, and just another example of something soccer had given her. She remembered reading somewhere that throughout your twenties, you meet a lot of temporary people—and this is something she found to be true. Traveling so much, meeting so many new people, experiencing new things—she had gone to many places, and had met even more people. But Lauren and Amy have been a constant in her life—something she could always count on. 

And now that was changing.

She didn’t know how to feel.

There would be an empty space next to Amy when they took that leap onto the pitch sometime in the future. 

“What are we gonna do without you, Chen?” Tobin asked quietly.

“You’re going to be just fine, Tobs,” Lauren responded. “I know it. Both of you.”

Tobin felt Lauren grab her hand, and looked down to see her take Amy’s hand too. 

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard,” Tobin murmured, taking in the moment.

“Which famous philosopher said that?” Amy teased, knowing Tobin’s tendency to spout out intellectual facts.

Tobin laughed. “Winnie the Pooh.”

Lauren burst out laughing, squeezing Tobin and Amy’s hands in hers. Tobin and Amy’s laughter joined in, until the three were a wheezing mess, draped across the park bench lost in hysterics. 

When laughter turned to breathless giggles, Lauren let out a loud sigh. “Oh man, I am gonna miss this the most.”

“My superior intelligence?” Tobin asked in a fake, haughty tone.

“Shut up, UNC,” Amy replied.

Lauren laughed again, shaking her head. “The two of you. Promise we’ll always be best friends.”

“Promise,” Amy said, smiling softly.

“Promise,” Tobin agreed, nodding her head.

Lauren’s smile grew, eyes glistening slightly. “Promise.”

* *

Alex looked up at the sound of the door being opened.

She placed her book on the nightstand as her girlfriend entered the room. Tobin silently joined Alex on the bed, laying her head in the forward’s lap. 

“You ok babe?” Alex asked quietly after a few moments of silence.

She felt Tobin nod her head. “I’m just a little sad,” Tobin replied.

Alex hummed, threading her fingers through her girlfriend’s hair.

“I know something that might cheer you up,” Alex said.

“Hmm?” Tobin responded, closing her eyes at the feeling of Alex’s fingers lightly massaging her head.

“Let’s move in together.”

Tobin chuckled, turning onto her back so her head was still resting on Alex’s lap. “Hate to break it to you, but we already live together.”

“I know,” Alex responded, leaning down and dropping a kiss on Tobin’s forehead. “I meant lets move into one room. Or find a new place together. Either one.”

Tobin’s smile grew as she looked up at Alex, love swelling in her heart. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Alex said, nodding her head. 

“Ok,” Tobin agreed easily. She could think of nothing better than to actually live with Alex. She loved the domesticity of their relationship that took place in their apartment in Portland, and only imagined that it would be better now that they were romantically involved too. “Can we talk about it after we take a nap? All of these up and down emotions of today have tired me out.”

Alex chuckled, nodding her head as Tobin sat up and lay back down next to Alex. “Yeah Tobs. After we nap.”

Tobin hummed in content as Alex lay next to her. She slung an arm around Alex’s waist and rested her head on her girlfriend’s shoulder, tangling their legs together. Tobin fell asleep to the feeling of Alex’s hands tangled in her hair, lightly massaging her head.


	13. Chapter 13

“Where did you even get these?”

“Does it matter?”

“...”

“…”

“…you have got to stop stealing things from the baby Rampones.”

“They’re not babies anymore! And I traded them for some gummy bears!”

“…”

“Do you want to play or not?”

“Oh, it is on like Donkey Kong.”

“I’ll kick your ass in Donkey Kong later. Usual wager?”

Alex nodded her head, sitting down across from Kelley on the bed and shaking her outstretched hand. She grabbed the offered item and crossed her legs, meeting Kelley’s unwavering stare head on.

“Is that supposed to be your game face?” Alex snorted, opening the Nintendo DS.

“Shut up Morgan,” Kelley replied. She opened her own DS and turned on the game. 

A knock on the door had Alex halting her actions, looking up questioningly at Kelley.

“Expecting someone?” she asked, getting off the bed. “And don’t take Yoshi while I’m getting the door.”

Kelley rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath. “I was going to be Toad anyways, he’s the shit.”

Alex swung the door open, revealing Sydney and Christen.

“Yo,” Syd said. “Kelley texted me to meet you guys here. I brought Press.” She held up two more DS’s. “I swiped these from Moe and Kling.”

Christen gave a slight wave, matching Alex’s smile. “Come on in,” Alex said, stepping aside and letting the two forwards through the door. “Kell, Syd and Press are here.”

“Sweet,” Kelley said, eyes not leaving the screen. “I texted Syd so we could have a Mario Kart tournament. Hey Pressy!”

Alex sat back down on the bed, patting the space next to her. Sydney plopped down next to Kelley, jostling her shoulder. Christen sat down more softly next to Alex, chuckling at Alex’s eye roll as she took in the actions of her best friends.

“How’s it going?” Alex asked, smiling as well. Christen had one of those smiles that were infectious, and Alex couldn’t help but grin.

Christen opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by Kelley. “Yo, enough with the chit chat. Are we doing this or what?”

Christen chuckled again, shaking her head at her friends. Alex slung her arm around the other forward’s neck, pulling her into her side. “We’ll catch up later. For now let’s kick Kelley’s ass.”

Sydney scoffed, waiting as the other girls picked their characters. Once that was done, she picked out a track and started the game, all waiting for the countdown to green. “Lots of talk. But I do believe that I am the current holder of the Crown of Glory.”

“Crown of Glory?” Christen asked, tongue sticking out slightly as she navigated her player around the track.

“It’s a stupid tin foil crown the winner gets,” Kelley responded. “Fuck those blue shells! Who did that?!”

Syd cackled in response. 

“You only call it stupid because you haven’t won it yet,” Alex piped up, brow furrowing as she avoided a banana peel.

“Wait, like an actual crown that you wear?” Christen questioned.

“Yup. But this is just a practice tournament,” Sydney answered. “The real thing will be tomorrow after training. The crown is in my safe, being held for safekeeping until the actual tournament.”

“You put a tin foil crown in your safe?” Christen asked, laughing incredulously.

“Ish get’s serious, girl,” Kelley said. “NO. DAMMIT.”

“Yeah!” “Crap!” “Shit!”

Christen raised her arms in victory, claiming the first race by just passing Kelley at the finish line.

“Did you invite a ringer Syd?” Kelley asked, eyebrow raised. “We said everyone had to be vetted after the last time _someone_ invited a ringer,” she said, looking pointedly at Alex.

“I didn’t know Tobin was going to be that good!” Alex said, hands raised in defense. 

“Is that why she’s not here?” Christen inquired. “And I’m not a ringer. I just got a shell at the right time,” she defended.

“Yeah, Tobin’s not allowed to participate after the infamous Smack Down of 2012,” Alex answered, queuing up the next race.

“She beat you guys that badly?”

“Well, she did win quite handily,” Alex started.

“But the smack down part is because of the pillow fight that happened after Kelley lost,” Sydney continued.

“Whatever,” Kelley said, waving off the comment. “I cannot be held responsible for what happens during the race for the Crown of Glory.”

“It was after,” Alex said, deadpanned.

“And we had to make a new crown because you smashed the old one,” Sydney added. “While it was on Tobin’s head.”

Christen burst out laughing as she listened to the conversation in front of her. “You guys are crazy,” she said, shaking her head.

“Crazy AWESOME,” Kelley replied. “Ya’ll ready? Good. Here we go,” she said, starting the next race. 

* *

“NO NO NOOOOO.” 

“SHIT!” 

“MOTHER FU—” 

“YESSSS! BOW DOWN BITCHES!” 

Alex quickly stood up, throwing her hands into the air. “What were you saying earlier, Syd? That crown is as good as mine! Wooooo! I am on a roll!” She waved her arms, doing a mini celebration. Shuffling her feet, she started dancing as Kelley and Sydney scowled up at her as Christen had succumbed to laughter at Alex’s impromptu dance.

“I owned you bitches! Three in a row! Bow down to the Queen and—”

*BANG*

“Alex! Did you—what are you guys doing?” asked Abby.

The door banging open caused Alex to falter in her steps, stumbling and falling on top of Christen’s lap. Kelley had accidentally thrown the DS up in the air (though it thankfully landed on the other bed), and Sydney let out a shrill scream at being startled. 

“Uhh, what’s up Abby?” Alex asked, trying to sound nonchalant. She was still laying atop Christen’s lap, waving slightly at her mentor who was still standing in the doorway. 

“We didn’t steal these from Rylie! She’s lying!” Kelley said quickly.

Abby quirked her eyebrow, gaze landing on each of her teammates—Christen with a sheepish grin, Alex trying to feign innocence, Kelley with her hands up in a defensive position, and Sydney looking pointedly anywhere except Abby.

“Righttt,” Abby said, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her. “Crown of Glory?”

“Practice round,” Alex answered. “What’s up?”

Abby’s face turned serious as she stepped closer, a folded magazine in her hand. “Lex, Christie found this in the grocery store when she went to buy some snacks for the little ones.” She handed over the magazine and Alex stared at the cover incredulously.

“What is it Al?” Kelley asked as her and Sydney leaned closer, taking in the cover. Alex quickly sat up, scrambling off of Christen’s lap. Christen looked over Alex’s shoulder at the magazine.

“Oh—” Kelley started, eyes taking in the cover page.

“—shit,” Sydney finished, reading the headline.

“That’s—” Alex gaped, still in disbelief.

“—you,” Abby said, nodding. “There’s a story in there too.”

“Why am I on the cover of People magazine?” Alex asked, still staring at the magazine.

“At least it’s a good picture?” Christen chimed in, Kelley nodding her head in agreement. 

“And it’s in your kit,” Kelley added. “They could have picked an unflattering picture of you.”

Sydney snorted. “There are no unflattering pictures of Alex.” She rolled her eyes and snatched the magazine out of Alex’s unmoving hands. The forward flipped through the magazine until she found another picture of Alex, stopping on the page. “Uhh, Lex? There are more pictures…of you and Tobin.”

“What?!” Alex shrieked, grabbing the magazine out of Sydney’s hands and looking at the open pages. Sure enough, there was a picture of her and Tobin, holding hands and laughing. Another of Alex giving Tobin a kiss on the cheek. One of Tobin’s arm wrapped around Alex’s shoulders. She recognized the pictures from the day they went to eat with their parents. Her eyes settled on the headline, which boldly read: **United States star striker scores more than goals**

She leaned back against the headboard, ignoring her friend’s questions as she read the rest of the article.

_**A soccer love story:  
In Canada for the World Cup, Alex Morgan was spotted being cozy with teammate Tobin Heath as the U.S. Women’s National Team are deep in the midst of preparation for the semi-finals.**_

_23 women have managed to capture the hearts of Americans across the entire nation._

_No, it’s not the ones on the Bachelor—why is that still a thing, by the way?_

_For those of you who have been living under a rock: the World Cup is currently being hosted in Canada, and the United States have made it to the semi-finals. They will take on Germany on June 30th, and if the U.S. is successful, the USWNT will once again make an appearance in the championship game._

_Four years ago, the U.S. and Japan threw down for the coveted World Cup trophy during the 2011 FIFA World Cup._

_And the U.S. lost._

_Regulation time ended with a score of 1-1, and overtime saw a tie of 2-2, sending the game into penalty kicks. It was all very reminiscent of the 1999 World Cup when the United States last won the World Cup._

_Except there was no Brandi Chastain moment for the Americans this time._

_The United States lost in the dramatic shoot out 3-1, and Japan stole the title from right under the U.S.’s nose._

_This moment has been four years in the making for the U.S., and only two teams stand between them and raising that championship trophy._

_Leading the United States to glory is a mixture of old and new players, all working towards the same goal: to get that trophy. Though, some of the players may have a little more than soccer on their minds._

_Hope Solo, Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan—these are all household names._

_America has fallen in love with the twenty-three women who represent the best of us on one of world’s most grand stages._

_So what makes this team so much more relatable than those of the past?_

_The people._

_The people, or more accurately, the players._

_These women are not relatable in the sense that anyone can throw on a pair of cleats and drill a ball into the back of the net. No, it’s not the soccer part that is relatable—it’s the people who play the soccer._

_America has gotten the chance to learn more about the players—their personalities, their stories—and have responded in kind, accepting them as a part of their lives, embedding them in their thoughts. The insight into the players’ lives have left us with a sense of authenticity—of intimacy—as these player’s become a part of our lives, so too do we become a part of theirs._

_That last household name, Alex Morgan—she blew up on the scene back in the first World Cup, remaining a steady scoring machine for the National Team, working in tandem with the likes of Abby Wambach to help the U.S. rise to the top._

_Technically, this alone should make Alex Morgan seem like an ethereal being—mere mortals have nothing in common with this woman, born to play the sport of soccer._

_And yet, pictures have shown that she does partake in normal activities._

_Spotted strolling through the streets of Canada was the star striker, who is arguably one of the most popular soccer players in the world, smiling and laughing like anyone else._

_The kicker (see what we did there, because soccer)?_

_It was with her girlfriend._

_Which isn’t that big of a deal really—except it is._

_Because Alex Morgan was seen kissing Tobin Heath, the National Team’s starting midfielder._

_A member of the National Team since 2008, Heath was one of just three active collegians chosen to play on the U.S. Team at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, helping the U.S. bring home the gold. Heath’s dazzling ball handing skills has labeled her as one of the most talented, technical soccer players in the world._

_Talk about a power couple._

_The two play together in the NWSL, both a part of the Portland Thorns organization. Pictures show the two out on what is presumably a date, holding hands, with the occasional kiss._

_So maybe Alex Morgan isn’t the best player to pick in terms of relating with that of the common folk. Actually, it’s not all that relatable at all—not that we’re bitter about it._

_If our girlfriend was Tobin Heath, we wouldn’t want to hide it either._

_So here’s to the Alex Morgan and Tobin Heath, and their budding romantic relationship._

_Guess turf isn’t the only change the USWNT have to adapt to this World Cup._

“Holy shit,” Alex said again, finishing the article. Kelley snatched the magazine out of her hands, Sydney and Kelley pouring over the words as well. 

“Yeah,” Abby said, leaning back into the chair she had taken occupancy in. 

“Does Tobin know?” Christen asked, brow furrowing. 

Alex whipped her head around, a frown on her face. “Oh crap. Tobin.”

“I don’t know,” Abby answered. “If this is in People magazine, then it’s already online too—and probably more magazines as well. People was just the one Christie happened upon.”

Alex shook her head. “Tobin probably doesn’t know. She doesn’t use the internet, you guys know that. I should go find her and break the news.” She sighed heavily. “What do I do? I mean—what…what should we do?” she asked, looking up at Abby.

Abby took in the squared shoulders, the steely look in Alex’s eyes, and was reminded of the first time she encountered the young forward. A wave of nostalgia swept through her, thinking of the last time Alex looked like this—she was asking Abby for advice then, too. 

Christen, sensing the need for Alex to talk to Abby alone, stood up and grabbed Sydney and Kelley, dragging them up from the bed as well. “We’re going to get some snacks from the snack room,” she said, pulling Kelley and Sydney towards the door. “Talk to you guys later. Good luck, Lex.”

The door slammed shut behind them, and Alex leaned back against the headboard once more. Abby joined her on the bed, mimicking Alex’s position. They sat in silence for a bit, until Alex broke it.

“What should I do, Abs?” Alex asked, leaning her head against Abby’s shoulder.

“Well first you should probably go talk to Tobin,” Abby said, giving Alex’s hand a squeeze. “And make sure you’re on the same page. This might be more of a shock to her, just because she’s not used to her personal life being scrutinized by the media.”

Alex groaned in response, closing her eyes. “I told her I don’t care if the public knows, and she agreed but…what if I pushed her?” she asked. “I’m used to the attention, though a lot of the times it seems unnecessary—like, who even cares who I’m dating?”

“You’re a public figure, Al,” Abby responded. “It’s part of the territory.”

“I know, I know,” Alex said. “It’s just—the first story about Tobin’s personal life, and they essentially out her as well. I mean, I know her family knew, and her close friends, but now the whole world knows and I don’t know how she’ll feel about it.”

Abby nodded her head. “Which is why you should go talk to her as soon as we’re done here,” she said. “But how are you doing with this Lex?”

“I mean, everyone I care about already knew,” Alex responded, sighing again. “But this was one of the things we talked to Jill about—we didn’t want our relationship to pull any focus away from the team. We’re about to play in the semi-finals of the World Cup in a few days. That’s what the focus should be on.”

“Everyone knows that you two care about this team, Al,” Abby said. “And that you didn’t ask for this. Look, it’s going to be ok. I promise. When have I ever lied to you?”

“Never,” Alex replied instantly. 

Abby nodded her head. “Exactly. So when we leave this room I’m going to round of the veterans, and you’re going to find Tobin, and after you talk with her, come to my room so we can discuss the next move.”

She placed her hand on top of Alex’s head, the same gesture she does when the younger player does something great on the pitch and the Abby wants Alex to know she is proud of her. Abby stood up, offering a hand to Alex. The young forward took it, standing up as well. Her mentor gave her one final nod before leaving the room.

Alex took a deep breath, regaining her composure. Nodding to herself, she opened the door and took off down the hallway in search of her girlfriend. She stopped at Lauren’s door, hoping the midfielder knew where Tobin was. Before she could knock, the door swung open and Alex came face to face with her girlfriend.

She blinked in surprise. “Tobs? I was just coming to find you.”

“I was just coming to find you,” Tobin replied. She held her hand up, holding the same magazine Abby had given Alex earlier. “Did you see this?”

“Yeah,” Alex gulped, trying to gage her girlfriend’s reaction.  
“We’re just gonna…go take a walk,” Amy said awkwardly, shuffling past the couple, Lauren in tow. The two gave Alex and Tobin pats on the shoulders before disappearing down the hall and into the elevator.

Tobin opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off. “I’m sorry,” Alex blurted. 

Tobin shut her mouth, eyebrows furrowing in confusing. “Dude, what are you sorry for?”

“For all of this,” Alex said, grabbing the magazine out of Tobin’s hand. She pointed to the front cover. “I expected some pictures maybe but…the cover? Seriously? I just—I’m sorry.”

Tobin’s face conveyed the confusion she was feeling. “This isn’t your fault, Alex,” she said, pulling the forward into the room. She led her to the bed, gesturing for Alex to sit down. Tobin stepped in between Alex’s legs, cupping her girlfriend’s face. “We knew that our relationship would be written about sooner or later. But I read the article, and it’s not so bad.” She cracked a small smile. “Those pictures of us are actually pretty cute.”

Alex giggled, seeing Tobin’s reaction. Her girlfriend was smiling. Alex’s heart overflowed with love, happiness flooding her entire being as she took in Tobin’s words. The midfielder had always been the calm in the storm, anchoring Alex and making sure she was ok. 

She knew that their relationship would be under the spotlight—it’s both a blessing and a curse how much people are invested in her life. A blessing because Alex realizes that her celebrity status gives her a platform to do some good—to make a change for the better for women’s soccer, to bring attention to this group of extraordinary women she’s had the fortune of playing with the past few years. A burden because all she ever wanted to do was play soccer, and she’s doing that—but she never would have predicted how playing the sport she loves would garner the attention of so many people. And yes, she knows that a large part of the attention is because of her looks, but she’d taken that in stride—anything to help women’s soccer, and if posing in a swimsuit for Sports Illustrated brings more attention to women’s soccer, then she’ll do it. 

She was only worried because Tobin had never asked for this. Yes, she’s used to the spotlight—she has been with the team for seven years now, and her picture has shown up on ESPN and Sports Illustrated, but never a media outlet whose main purpose is to discuss her personal life. It’s one thing when analysts are discussing a move Tobin made on the pitch, but another thing entirely when paparazzi are taking pictures of her because of who she’s dating. Alex couldn’t help but feel bad, accepting the fact that Tobin’s personal life is being thrust into the spotlight because of her.

“I’m still sorry Tobin,” Alex said softly, looking down. “I know we already talked about not hiding—but I didn’t expect our faces to show up on the cover of People magazine.” She shook her head. “I mean, I guess I should have expected it but—I just, I thought with the World Cup going on everyone would focus on the soccer.” She scoffed, running a hand through her hair. “Of course there are big media outlets more interested in what’s happening in my personal life than the actual soccer being played.”

“Hey, Lex,” the midfielder said, taking a seat next to her girlfriend. She put her fingers under Alex’s chin, lifting the forward’s head until their eyes met. “Sweetie, it’s ok,” Tobin said softly. “Don’t cry.”

“I’m not crying,” Alex sniffed, though her eyes were glistening slightly. “I just—I know how private you are. And all of a sudden your personal life is being aired out in the open, for everyone to see?” She covered her eyes with her hands. “And it’s not just that they reported on us dating—it’s that they _outed_ you. And I’m really sorry for that.”

“Alex, this isn’t your fault,” Tobin said, removing Alex’s hands from where they were covering the forward’s eyes. “And it doesn’t matter. Remember what I said on the first date? There’s no way I’d regret our relationship.” She smirked slightly, lightening the mood. “I landed Alex freaking Morgan! Like I said, there’s no way I’m hiding that.”

Alex chuckled. “Your cool points have raised by at least one hundred.”

Tobin leaned in closer, resting her forehead on Alex’s. “One fifty,” she murmured, leaning in and giving Alex a soft kiss.

Alex smiled into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Tobin as they broke apart. She sighed happily into Tobin’s shoulder, nuzzling her face into her girlfriend’s neck and dropping a light kiss there. 

“You’re the best person ever, you know?” Alex murmured, squeezing her arms a little tighter around Tobin.

Tobin placed a light kiss to the top of Alex’s head, humming into her hair. “I suppose we have to go talk with the team?”

Alex nodded. “Abby wants us to meet in her room with the veterans,” she confirmed. 

Tobin sighed and stood up, lacing her fingers between Alex’s. “Well, let’s go face it together.”

Alex smiled. “Together.”

* *

Alex and Tobin were seated on the bed, facing Christie, Shannon, Abby, Hope and Carli. Tobin felt sort of like a child being reprimanded by their parents. Though, Hope and Carli weren’t glaring so Tobin took that as a good sign.

“We’re sorry,” Tobin blurted out. Hope quirked her eyebrow at the midfielder. “I mean, not like, sorry about our relationship. Just like—sorry that…I mean, sorry?”

“Tobin,” Shannon said, cutting off the rambling girl. “Just—stop.”

“There’s no need to be sorry,” Hope said, uncrossing her arms. She gave a slight smile to the young couple. “We just brought you in here to make sure you two are ok.”

“Oh…kay?” Alex asked. “It’s just—”

“I feel like I was sent to the principal’s office,” Tobin rambled, gesturing to the veterans all standing in a line in front of them. 

The veterans burst out laughing, startling Tobin and Alex. When the laughter turned to chuckles, Carli and Hope leaned back against the desk, and Abby gave the couple a reassuring nod, Shannon smiling as well.

“You two are both high profile athletes, especially now that we’ve made it to the semi-finals,” Christie started after the laughter died down.

“But we know you guys didn’t ask for this,” Carli continued. “And we know you guys were worried about pulling focus from the team.”

“Well, can you blame us? That’s exactly what happened,” Alex said bitterly.

Hope shook her head. “Alex, it’s ok. Trust me, I know more than anyone about the invasiveness of the media in regards to your personal life. But it’s not like you guys were flaunting your relationship. You were just being your regular selves.”

“So what should we do now?” Tobin asked, placing her hand on Alex’s leg. She felt the tension disappear from her girlfriend at the touch, and she smiled slightly at the affect she had on Alex.

“Keep on keeping on,” Abby said, and Tobin turned her head as Alex snorted lightly, laughter escaping her. 

“Of course,” Alex said, shaking her head. “But like, specifically what can we do?”

“Just continue as you normally would,” Shannon advised, smiling at the couple. “Most of the media outlets here will stick to soccer—they’re here to cover the World Cup.”

“And if anyone asks about your relationship, just state that you’re focusing on the tournament and that you two are happy—you are happy, right? I mean, by the look of those marks we saw on your chest during the ice bath Tobs, it certainly looks like it,” Carli said, smirking.

Alex rolled her eyes as the rest of the veterans snickered and Tobin’s ears turned a slight shade of red. 

“Really? You guys are supposed to be the mature ones,” Alex grumbled, more relaxed now that she knew for certain their teammates weren’t upset with them.

“But it’s so fun to watch Tobin blush,” Hope smirked. “Look at her.”

Alex turned to see her girlfriend’s increasingly reddening cheeks and gave Tobin a quick peck on the cheek. “Oh Tobs,” she said affectionately, patting the midfielder on her cheeks a couple of times.

“Whatever,” Tobin said, clearing her throat. “Aren’t we late for team dinner?” She stood up quickly, grabbing Alex’s hand and standing up. 

“Not for a few hours,” Shannon responded, chuckling at the couple.

“Hold up,” Abby said, raising her hand. “One more thing.”

Grinning, Abby pulled the couple into a hug, Christie and Shannon following shortly after. “Come on Solo, Carlos,” Abby said, gesturing with her head. “Get in here.”

Carli rolled her eyes but nonetheless joined the group hug, glaring at Hope until the goalkeeper also wrapped her arms around the group.

“Thank you guys,” Alex said softly from the middle of the group. Amidst the jokes and good-natured teasing, she knew the veterans loved them, and only wanted the best for everyone on the team. “You guys are the best.”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t go soft on us Morgan,” Carli quipped, stepping back from the group. “Now get out of here. We’ll see you guys at dinner.”

Smiling, Alex led Tobin out of the room and down the hallway. 

Waiting for the elevator, Tobin released Alex’s hand and instead slung her arm around her girlfriend’s shoulders, bringing the forward in closer. “You know, I actually feel sort of…relieved?” Tobin said, the two of them stepping into the elevator. “Now that it’s out in the open.”

“Yeah?” Alex asked.

Tobin nodded. “Yeah.”

Alex grinned, putting her arm around her girlfriend’s waist. “Yeah, me too.”

She wrapped her other arm around Tobin’s waist as well, turning her girlfriend to face her. Leaning in, she gave Tobin a kiss, smiling as she felt the midfielder respond. Lost in the kiss, they didn’t notice the elevator reaching the lobby.

“Hey, it’s the power couple!” 

The two broke apart, turning to see the smirking faces of Kelley, Sydney and Christen. 

“Oh ha ha, very funny,” Alex said, rolling her eyes. 

“I know I am,” Kelley responded, sticking her tongue out. 

The couple stepped out of the elevator, only for Kelly and Sydney to push Alex back in.

“Hey!” Alex exclaimed. 

“Oh no you don’t, Baby Horse,” said Sydney, pressing the button to their floor. “We have to finish the last race.”

“But—”

“Besides, Lauren and Amy are waiting for Tobin across the lobby,” Kelley continued.

Christen gave Alex and Tobin an apologetic shrug. 

Tobin laughed, holding her hands up. “Well, I’m not getting in between Kelley and the Crown of Glory again. We all remember what happened the last time.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Kelley grumbled.

The elevator doors started to close, and Alex barely had time to wave at her girlfriend.

“I’ll see you at dinner babe!”

“Later dude!” she heard Tobin yell in response, and smiled, turning her attention back to Kelley and Sydney’s bickering. Christen gestured to the two and rolled her eyes, making Alex grin. She had the best teammates.


	14. Chapter 14

Tobin couldn’t breath. 

Chest heaving, she was sitting on the ground, Tabea Kemme holding Tobin’s arms up from behind her (which really, Tobin appreciated and would have said thank you if she could actually catch her breath).

The game was intense.

They were expecting that. It was number one vs. two, and neither team would let up. Physically, the game was one of the toughest they’ve played so far. The first half was almost over and the score was still tied at zero.

Tobin took another deep breath, rising to her feet. She locked eyes with Alex from across the field, the forward with a worried look on her face. Tobin gave a short nod to indicate she was ok, and took another deep breath.

She ran back onto the pitch, ready to continue fighting for that spot in the final.

* *

Tobin couldn’t breath.

She watched as Alex sped towards the German goal, anticipation quickly turning to horror as the forward collided with the German defender at full speed. The midfielder saw her girlfriend fly through the air, almost in slow motion, landing on her back and rolling until she came to a stop. Kling reached her first, bending over Alex as Lauren joined them.

Tobin watched the ref hold up a yellow card, watched Alex slowly get up, shaking her head as if to shake off the hurt. The forward looked up and locked eyes with Tobin, giving her a nod. 

Alex was ok. 

But Tobin still wasn’t breathing because the referee signaled that the foul had taken place in the box.

A penalty kick.

Carli stepped up and placed the ball on the ground, and unlike Sasic earlier in the game, she doesn’t waste the opportunity.

Nadine goes one way, the ball goes the other, and Tobin is screaming her head off, rushing towards Carli and the rest of her teammates.

They were up 1-0, and now all they had to do was keep the lead. 

Tobin can breath a little easier as she heads to the bench, Jill subbing her out after another particularly hard collision with Kemme that knocked the wind out of her. Lead still intact, Tobin swears she felt the atmosphere in the stadium shift as KO stepped onto the field.

And then Tobin’s breathless again as she screams her head off, because less then ten minutes later, Kelley did what Kelley does best.

She gets the job done.

Like a goddamn ninja (yes Kell, we will refer to you as a ninja only for tonight because you earned it, the team had agreed), the super-sub flew through the air and connected with a ball from Carli, sending the ball into the back of the net and securing the game for the U.S.

When the final whistle blew, she took off running, joining in on the dog pile that was forming on the middle of the pitch with Kelley in the middle. 

When they all finally managed to stand back up, Tobin looked around, searching for Alex. 

“Whoa!” she yelled as she felt someone literally sweep her off her feet. She looked back to see a laughing Ashlyn carrying her in her arms. 

“Tobs! We going to the ship!” yelled Ashlyn, laughing. Tobin laughed along with her best friend, joining in on the chanting.

“We going to the ship! We going to the ship!” Tobin yelled, the rest of her teammates joining in on the chanting. 

Ashlyn put Tobin down, pulling her into a hug. “This is our year Tobs! I can feel it!” The goalkeeper took a step back, slinging her arm around Tobin. The two followed the rest of their team off the field towards the locker room, Tobin looking around for Alex. As they were entering the hall, she heard it. 

“Tobin!” she heard, and she turned her head to see Alex running towards her. 

“Go on without me Ash,” Tobin said distractedly, waiting at the entrance of the hallway. Alex was jogging over to her, and the midfielder opened her arms in anticipation. Laughing, Alex launched herself into her girlfriend’s arms, Tobin spinning them around. 

“We did it Al!” Tobin yelled, stopping and letting Alex’s feet reach the ground. Alex stared at Tobin, eyes shining and a grin across her face, though she didn’t say anything. 

“What?” Tobin asked, quirking her eyebrow.

Alex laughed again, and Tobin felt herself being pulled into another hug, her girlfriend’s breath on her ear. 

“I love you,” Alex said breathlessly.

Tobin’s breath hitched, and her head felt fuzzy as the midfielder tightened her hold on her girlfriend. 

Tobin couldn’t breath. 

Alex Morgan had taken her breath away.

* *

Tobin always dreamed of what it would feel like to hear those three words from Alex Morgan.

She imagined that it would happen on the beach, the two of them lying on the sand, lounging after a day of surfing and fun. Or maybe in their apartment in Portland, snuggling on the couch, a soccer game on in the background. Or after a date, where Tobin would kiss her soft and slow, as if they had all the time in the world. 

Standing on the edge of the soccer pitch, surrounded by their teammates—this was not one of the scenarios, but Tobin thought that maybe it was better—more fitting—than her imagination.

Because Alex Morgan said that she loves her. 

Alex Morgan loves her.

Her best friend, her everything, her most favorite person—loves her.

Alex’s smile was on full display, her blue eyes shining with happiness.

“Say that again please,” Tobin said, hardly believing that she had finally heard the words she had longed for, but up until a month ago never thought she would hear from Alex.

Alex threw her head back in laughter, still grinning. “I love you,” she said again.

Tobin nodded faintly. “That’s what I thought you said.”

Tobin felt Alex pull her closer, their foreheads almost touching. “I love you, Tobin,” Alex said, voice softer than before as the echoes of their teammates chatter disappeared down the hall.

Tobin closed the gap between them, pulling Alex in for a deep kiss until she was breathless once more.

“I love you too, Alex,” Tobin said, smiling at her girlfriend. 

Alex kissed her again, only pulling away when oxygen was necessary. “Come on,” Alex said softly. “Let’s go get our stuff before the bus leaves without us.”

Tobin nodded, following Alex down the hallway. They split up to their respective lockers once they reached the locker room, their teammates chatting happily besides them.

“What’s up, Tobs?” asked Ashlyn, noticing the permanent grin that seemed to be stuck on the midfielders face.

“Hmm?” Tobin asked, still lost in her own world (the world where Alex Morgan said she loves her, and now her world is the same as the real world because that just happened, holy shit that just happened). 

“Lost in thought again, Tobito?” Ashlyn asked, picking her bag up and slinging it around her shoulders. 

“What?” Tobin asked. “Oh, sorry,” she said sheepishly. 

“No worries Tobs,” Ashlyn said, patting Tobin on the arm. “Though it’s sort of funny that you do that, especially since you’re with Alex. We all know Baby Horse isn’t the most patient person. Good thing she loves you.”

“Yeah,” Tobin agreed, smile so genuine stretching across her face. “Good thing she does.”

* *

They arrived back at the hotel, and as soon as the door was open Tobin found herself being pushed into the room before being spun around, her back slamming into the door, closing it shut.

“Lex,” Tobin breathed out as Alex peppered kisses along the midfielder’s neck.

“Hmmm,” Alex hummed, not slowing down.

“Where’s…roommate?” Tobin managed to stutter out, groaning as Alex kissed the sensitive spot under her ear. 

“Bribed…Kell…back in…few hours,” Alex said in between kisses.

Tobin nodded her head, knees week from her girlfriend’s ministrations. “Alex,” Tobin said, breathing heavily. She cupped Alex’s face in her hands, and almost growled at the darkened pair of blue eyes staring back at her.

“Yeah?” Alex breathed out, still catching her breath from the last kiss.

“I love you,” Tobin said, simply because she could.

Alex smiled softly, heart melting at her girlfriend’s words. “I love you too.”

Tobin grinned, reaching down and hooking her hands under Alex’s thighs, lifting her up. Squealing, Alex wrapped her legs around her girlfriend, laughing. 

“What are you doing?” Alex laughed out, her arms going around Tobin’s neck. 

“Sweeping you off your feet,” Tobin responded, walking them towards the bed. She placed Alex on top of the sheets, hovering over her girlfriend. Alex leaned up, a miniscule gap between them but before Tobin could connect their lips, Alex wrapped her arms around the midfielder and flipped their positions. 

“Whoa,” Tobin yelped, staring up at Alex. “You are deceptively strong.”

Alex wiggled her eyebrows, making Tobin laugh. Her laughter was soon cut off though, as Alex leaned down and kissed her softly. Tobin let her arms slide around the forward and kissed her back. She felt Alex shift slightly so that her girlfriend’s body was closer to hers, their lips still connected. Tobin could think of nothing other than kissing Alex back. She marveled at the soft feeling of Alex’s lips on hers (and if she had been able to form a coherent thought she would have wondered how every next kiss with Alex made her fall deeper and harder in love).

She felt Alex’s hands slowly moving up her sides, tracing the curves above her shorts before sliding up her stomach. They paused only briefly for trivial things like air, lips molding against one another and tongues tangling in a passionate dance that was making Tobin’s body hum and her desire grow. 

After a few minutes, Tobin felt her girlfriend shift once more so she was completely on top of her, and she hitched her breath as Alex slowly traced her lips over Tobin’s neck, pressing them gently to her skin every few moments. Tobin’s eyes, which had opened briefly when Alex had moved her head lower, fluttered closed as she took in the sensation of her girlfriend dropping light kisses on her neck. 

Alex leaned back, reaching for the bottom of Tobin’s shirt. She happily obliged, lifting her arms and letting Alex take the shirt of, throwing it somewhere behind her. Tobin quickly responded, ridding Alex of her own shirt. Tobin moaned lightly as her hands connected with Alex’s stomach, taking in her girlfriend’s toned physique.

Alex bent down once more, her lips sliding over Tobin’s throat, covering the other side of the midfielder’s neck with kisses. After covering almost every inch, Alex slid back up to Tobin’s jaw, peppering kisses along there as well. Tobin had never felt more loved—she love, love, loved this girl. Tobin felt Alex shift once more and her eyes opened briefly to see Alex’s darkened blue eyes connect with her rapidly dilated brown ones, before dropping a kiss on the corner of Tobin’s mouth. Tobin could feel her breath becoming more labored, and she turned her head slightly to connect her lips with Alex’s, but heard her girlfriend chuckle as the forward teased her by shifting of the other side of Tobin’s mouth. 

Tobin moaned, the sound spurring Alex on as her girlfriend (finally) connected their lips. They kissed deeply, and Tobin continued to lose herself in her girlfriend. She was completely and utterly absorbed in everything Alex—her taste, her scent, the feel of her hands all over Tobin’s body—her everything. She couldn’t help the groan that escaped from deep within her throat, getting lost in Alex’s mouth as she felt Alex’s teeth lightly bite on her bottom lip. 

Briefly pausing to catch their breathes, Tobin’s mind seemed to turn back on. 

The two had come to the decision that they wouldn’t taken anything farther until after the World Cup, something she was seriously regretting. But she knew that they had agreed together, and so she reluctantly opened her mouth and muttered, “Al, chocolate.”

Alex groaned, her head falling onto Tobin’s shoulder. 

Chocolate was the safe word the two of them had chosen, used to keep the other in check and alert them when they needed to slow down. 

She never thought it possible, but Tobin was actually starting to hate chocolate.

“Ok, ok,” Alex said, nuzzling her nose against Tobin’s neck. She dropped another kiss to Tobin’s neck before detaching herself, the two of them lying next to each other on the bed but not actually touching.

The room was silent as both women tried to catch their breath and remember why they even decided to wait until after the tournament. 

Stupid chocolate, Tobin thought.

“Want to see if Amy will let us take Ryan to go get ice cream?” Alex asked after a while, breaking the silence.

“You know we’ll end up taking Rylie and Reece and Zoe too,” Tobin responded.

“Soooo…?” Alex inquired, turning her head slightly to look at her girlfriend.

Tobin snorted, looking at Alex. “You just want ice cream.”

Alex grinned, reaching for her phone on the nightstand. “I’ll call Amy.”

Tobin sighed, reaching for the hotel room phone. “I’ll call Christie and Boxxy.”

Smiling at Alex’s squeal of happiness, Tobin picked up the phone, dialing Christie’s room number.

“Hey, Pearcie? Lex and I wanted to know if the kids wanted to go get ice cream…”

* *

“Alexxx.”

Alex scrunched her nose, burying her head deeper into her pillow.

“Aaaaaal.”

“Ugh, whaaaat,” Alex said, reaching out to slap the source of the noise away.

She heard a gasp, and cracked her eyes open, sight blurry. 

“Did you just try to swing at me?” she heard, and rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes away, blinking at the light that filled the room. 

“What do you want?” Alex groaned, flipping over to her back and flinging her arm over her eyes.

“We have to be on the plane in two hours!” Kelley said excitedly. “Let’s go get some coffee!”

“My alarm was going to go off in…” Alex yawned, turning her head to look at the clock. “Five minutes. You couldn’t wait five minutes?”

“The sky is awake so I’m awake and we have to go get coffee!” Kelley said, leaping onto Alex’s bed and bouncing up and down.

“Did you force Rylie to watch Frozen with you again?” Alex asked, sitting up.

“Coffee! Let’s go!” Kelley said again, ignoring Alex’s question. 

Alex sighed, but resigned to her fate, grabbed the discarded hoodie on the chair next to the bed. She slipped her phone in her pocket from the nightstand and begrudgingly followed her energetic best friend out of the room.

An hour later (and two cups of coffee in order for Alex to keep up with Kelley’s ramblings involving the intricacies of Frozen and the dynamic between Elsa and Anna) saw Alex sitting on the bus, on the way to the airport.

Pulling her phone out of her pocket, Alex checked her phone. She didn’t have time to check it earlier between Kelley’s wake up call and packing for the airport, and clicking on the screen, saw that she had over 20 unread messages from this morning.

“Huh,” she murmured to herself, opening the first one.

**Mittsy: Saw the article, didn’t want to bother you before the semi-finals. Congrats Baby Horse! So happy for you and Tobin! Now go avenge 2011!**

Alex smiled, heart warming at the message from their old friend and teammate. She swiped to the next one, the smile growing on her face.

**Allie: Aaaaaaaal! Sooo…can I just be the first to say…called that shit. Congrats you two :) See you when you bring home that trophy. Love you both.**

Chuckling, Alex opened the next one, and the next.

**Jeri: Mom cut out those pictures of the two of you from that article and put them on the fridge. Tell Tobin congrats, she has officially made the wall of honor. Great game you two!**

**Perry: Wooo! Going to the ship! Great game Alex! I’m so proud of you and Tobin! Tell my knucklehead sister who never answers her phone that I’ll see her soon!**

**Jen: Hope you and Tobin are both ok, those were some hard hits you took. Love you both, great game!**

**Sincy: Good game, Lex. Congrats on the relationship :) We’ll celebrate when you two are back in Portland.**

**Mana: Bom chicka wow woooow ;)**

Alex burst out laughing, garnering the attention of her bus buddy. 

“Whatcha looking at, Al?” Tobin asked, slinging her headphones around her neck. 

Still chuckling, Alex handed her phone over to her girlfriend and watched as Tobin scrolled through the texts, all offering congratulations and words of encouragement, a smile on her face as well. 

“Wow. Sinc, Mittsy, Allie…everyone sent you a message,” Tobin said, grinning. 

Alex bumped Tobin’s shoulder with her own. “Sent one to you too, but of course your phone is nonexistent like usual,” she said, plucking her phone from Tobin’s hand and pocketing it.

Tobin just shrugged, unapologetic. “Why do I need my phone when my favorite person to talk to is right next to me?”

Alex snorted. “You’re such a sap.”

“I’m your sap,” Tobin responded, grabbing Alex’s face and peppering kisses all around her girlfriend’s face. 

“Tobin!” Alex squealed. “Yes—ok, yeah—you are.”

Tobin nodded, satisfied with her girlfriend’s answer. 

“You’re a dork,” Alex said, shaking her head at the funny face Tobin was giving her.

“You love me,” Tobin replied.

“Yeah,” Alex agreed, grinning. “Yeah, I do love you.”

Tobin smiled softly, reveling in the feeling that enveloped her when Alex said those words. 

“I love you too,” Tobin said softly. 

Alex leaned closer to the midfielder, and Tobin felt Alex hum against her shoulder. 

Tobin, still smiling, dropped a soft kiss on the top of her girlfriend’s head before engaging in a conversation with Lauren and Amy across the aisle. 

Alex sighed, feeling the vibrations traveling from Tobin’s voice soothe her. She read through the rest of her messages, responding to a few before she closed her eyes. She felt Tobin’s arm wrap around her waist, and Alex smiled as she felt the vibrations running through Tobin’s body as the midfielder laughed at something Lauren had said. 

Alex let out a small sigh of content, burrowing her face in Tobin’s neck and listened to the voices around her fading until she fell asleep, only waking when they arrived at the airport.


	15. Chapter 15

“Look at that view! Just look at it!”

“Tobin, I can’t see it if you’re shoving the phone that close to my face. Give it to me,” said Ashlyn, swiping the phone out of her friend’s hand.

“Wow, that is nice,” Ali commented, looking at the picture Ashlyn was going through over her girlfriend’s shoulder.

Tobin was sitting with a group of teammates, everyone eating lunch after the morning workout. They had a few hours before going over film, and Tobin was relaxing, sitting next to Ashlyn and Ali. Alex watched her girlfriend fondly from a few seats away, smiling at Tobin’s excitement. 

“Right? Allie went to go look at it and she said it’s totally perfect for us. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen that opens up to the living room, there’s an island in the kitchen where you can like, sit and eat food—seriously guys, a breakfast bar—and there’s a balcony with sitting room!” Tobin rambled excitedly, waving her arms around gesturing at her phone. “Obviously we have to go check it out when we get back, but I sort of name dropped and apparently the realtor’s daughter is a big Alex Morgan fan and—oh, like you’ve never done the same with Ali, Ash—she’s willing to wait for us to come back to tour it.” 

“A breakfast bar?” Kelley asked, looking at Tobin skeptically. “You guys don’t even cook. What the hell are you going to use the breakfast bar for?”

Tobin waved her hand again, dismissing Kelley’s question. “I COULD cook,” said Tobin. “Who knows, maybe I haven’t been cooking because I don’t have a breakfast bar.”

Alex shook her head, chuckling at her girlfriend’s response but still not joining in on the conversation, content in simply watching the scene in front of her. 

She felt someone sit down next to her and turned her head to see Lauren smiling at her.

“It’s kind of incredible, you know?” Lauren asked, leaning back in her chair. 

Alex titled her head at the question, and Lauren chuckled in response, gesturing to where Tobin was telling their teammates about the location of their new potential apartment in proximity to Providence Park.

“Tobin,” Lauren clarified. “It’s kind of incredible to see Tobin this excited about settling down.”

Alex shrugged her shoulders, thinking about it. “I guess,” she said slowly. “I wouldn’t really call it settling down though. I mean, she has to live in Portland during the season anyways.”

“I know,” Lauren agreed, nodding her head. “I just mean Tobin isn’t really someone to gush about an apartment. Usually she just stays where she stays, you know?”

Alex chuckled slightly. “I think that has to do with the breakfast bar,” she responded. “Did you hear how excited she is about that?”

Lauren laughed, patting Alex on the back. “I think it’s more about getting to live with you than the amenities.” She gestured to where Tobin was now promising Kelley that yes, she had first dibs on the guestroom when she was in town. “You know how she is—floating from place to place, never staying somewhere for too long.”

Alex smiled, thinking about her girlfriend’s tendencies to go wherever she the world takes her.

“I think that this is a brand new adventure—one she won’t ever get tired of,” Lauren continued. “And I couldn’t be happier for the two of you.”

“That means a lot Lauren,” Alex said, giving her friend a pat on the leg. 

“I mean it, Alex,” Lauren responded, covering Alex’s hand with her own. “I just—with my decision to retire and all—I know Tobin has been having a hard time coming to terms with it. And I know she’s a big girl and she can take care of herself.” She gave Alex’s hand a squeeze, smiling slightly. “It just makes me so happy knowing that Tobin has someone to look after her. Someone who loves her like you love her.”

Alex felt herself tearing up a bit, because yes—she loves Tobin (has always loved Tobin, will always love Tobin, and sometimes she forgets that it’s technically only been a month since they officially got together but she doesn’t care because it’s something she knows, just like she knows she loves soccer and she knows she loves her family, she knows she is very much in love with Tobin), and to have it said by someone else as if it was a given—she loves that it is clear how much she is in love with Tobin. 

And smiling at Lauren, this girl who has been such an important part in both of their lives (an immeasurable amount in her girlfriend’s life, from before Alex ever even came into the picture and continued to do so once she arrived), Alex feels immensely grateful for the girl sitting next to her. Lauren (and Amy, of course Amy, because the New Kids are inseparable, and it’s just a known fact that the three of them will be forever), who loves Tobin as much as Alex loves Tobin, but in a different way. 

And once again she has to thank soccer for bringing these people into her life—for bringing the best kinds of people into Tobin’s life, too. 

“Seriously Chen, just…thanks,” Alex said, turning back to see her girlfriend throw her head back in laughter over something Ashlyn said.

Lauren put an arm around Alex and pulled her in for a side hug. “Nah, thank you Baby Horse.”

Alex grinned and rested her head on Lauren’s shoulder, thinking about her relationship with Tobin and how far it’s progressed in the short amount of time they’ve been together. 

One month they’ve been together, and Alex has already fallen harder for Tobin in this short amount of time than she has for anyone else before. Though admittedly, she thinks she might have always been in love with Tobin, falling hard for her girlfriend the moment she had met the midfielder (who had laughed at Alex’s outstretched hand after Abby had introduced them, and ignoring the offered hand, had pulled her into a hug, Alex reveling in the warmth and the way Tobin’s arms wrapped all the way around her, and she remembers Tobin smiling when they broke apart and being mesmerized by the warm, brown eyes staring back at her, and the way Abby had to physically move her to the next person because she just couldn’t look away from this girl who had immediately captured her attention). 

Before Tobin, Alex had never really thought about the differences between loving someone and being in love with someone.

The thing that’s different about Alex’s feelings for Tobin is that she both loves Tobin, and is completely _in_ love with Tobin. And Alex thinks that maybe that’s special, because she hasn’t encountered a whole lot of couples where they seem to both love _and_ like one another. Being friends with Tobin for so long—Alex can never and will never regret that. It built the foundation of their relationship, and for Alex, falling in love with Tobin was the easiest thing to do. She had been in love with her best friend before she had actually realized it, but when she did there was never a suffering moment where she wished that she didn’t have these feelings, even when she wasn’t sure if her and Tobin together where even a possibility.

Alex remembers the feeling she got when Tobin said she loves her too—that feeling she still gets whenever she hears those three words come from her girlfriend. Ever since she could remember, she’s had a list of her happiest memories—the first time she stepped onto a soccer pitch and fell in love with the sport, when she arrived in Berkeley and realized it was where she belonged, when she was called up to the senior national team—every memory had a spot on the list. 

But since meeting Tobin, it seemed like all of the memories blended together, and the new ones she was making—the first time she sat on the senior national team bus after she had met Tobin and the midfielder had declared they were bus buddies for life, the excitement she and Tobin shared when they were placed with their first pick for the new soccer league (together, always together, in sync even before they were a couple), going on adventures to the beach, and to the farmer’s market, and to the park down the street from their apartment to play a game of pickup—they made her life seems like a series of happy moments, one after another. 

Alex had never given much thought to the concept of happiness. She knew when she was happy, and she knew when she wasn’t—she knew that there were different levels of happiness, and before being with Tobin, Alex believed she had experienced the happiest she had ever been. 

But then Tobin smiled at her.

And held her hand.

And hugged her.

And kissed her.

And showed Alex that these moments—the ones with Tobin, the two of them together, no matter what they were doing—were pure, unadulterated, happiness. There was no limit on how happy Alex could feel when she was with Tobin, because soon happiness blended together with love and Alex was so completely, irrevocably in love with Tobin.

And she sometimes laughed at herself, thinking about a time in the past when she thought being this vulnerable, this open, with someone else would be the hardest thing to do.

But then it happened, and—well, it’s like she’s come to realize—falling in love with Tobin was the easiest thing to do.

Alex is a do-er. She always has been. She is a person of action, always going after what she wanted. Alex was always a firm believer in saving yourself—you are your own anchor. She always believed that—it’s what makes her, what helped her become the athlete she is today.

And perhaps one of the biggest things she loves about Tobin is that she can still be her own anchor—can still be true to herself. And Tobin has shown her that despite being her own anchor, she can also let someone else be a different kind of anchor, one she didn’t know she needed.

Tobin was Alex’s anchor, and instead of being scared of putting that much unconditional trust and faith in another person, Alex reveled in it. 

If there was anybody that was going to take care of Alex’s heart, it was Tobin. 

And Alex knew this to be certain, for she, in turn, took care of Tobin’s.

And when she thought about the special and reverent way Tobin took care of her heart, well—another layer of happiness, discovered.

* *

“Hey Tobs?”

Tobin hummed, rummaging through her bag, looking for her beanie.

“Ah ha!” she exclaimed, pulling out her hat triumphantly and pulling it onto her head. “What’s up dude?”

Alex grinned, shaking her head at her girlfriend. “You are too cute sometimes, you know?”

Tobin shrugged, shoving her hands into her pocket. 

Alex loved how a simple comment such as that could turn Tobin into this bashful, shy person—there were so many layers to her girlfriend, and she found that she was still discovering them. Bashful, shy Tobin was one of her favorites so far (and really, she loved every version of Tobin, from the excited, rambling Tobin, to the mischievous, cunning one, to the philosophical, deep-thinking one—she just really loved Tobin), and she leaned over, giving Tobin a soft, lingering kiss on the corner of her mouth.

Feeling Tobin’s arms wrap around her, Alex moved to Tobin’s mouth, pressing her lips to her girlfriend’s. She held the simple kiss for a moment, reveling in the sensation of Tobin’s lips against hers, before deepening it. Alex cupped Tobin’s face, and felt her girlfriend hum into the kiss, easily letting Tobin take over as she felt her girlfriend’s tongue slide across her lip. Alex moaned as she felt Tobin gently sucking on her bottom lip before switching to the top one.

What started as a slow, simple kiss turned to more as Alex backed Tobin up until she felt them bump into the bed. Without relinquishing her hold on her girlfriend, Alex guided Tobin until the midfielder was sitting on the edge of the bed. Breaking apart slightly as she took a breath, Alex climbed on top of Tobin, straddling her girlfriend. 

Alex grinned at the flushed look on Tobin’s face, lost in her favorite pair of eyes. She kissed and sucked at Tobin’s pulse point, moving up her neck and searching for the sensitive spot below her girlfriend’s ear that always made the midfielder moan. Tobin’s moans were intoxicating, and they served as confirmation that Alex had found the spot, paying extra attention not to leave a mark (she wouldn’t leave a mark until after the nationally televised tournament was over, after poor Tobin had been subjected to so much teasing by her teammates the last time a mark was discovered that had Alex thinking Tobin was going to turn permanently red). 

She felt Tobin gently guide her head back up until her lips met Tobin’s once more, the two getting more and more lost in the kisses shared between them, only parting very briefly when oxygen became a problem.

“Lex,” she felt Tobin breath against her mouth. 

“Hmm,” Alex hummed, feeling Tobin place a lingering kiss on her forehead.

“I love you,” Tobin said, letting out a content sigh.

Alex rested her forehead against her girlfriend’s, relishing in the feeling of love that engulfed her entire being every time she heard those words from Tobin.

“I love you too,” she said, stroking Tobin’s cheek with her thumb. “So much.”

She reached behind Tobin to grab the beanie that had been removed and tossed aside, placing it back on her girlfriend’s head. She chuckled at the lopsided grin Tobin gave her, the beanie slightly crooked on the midfielder’s head. Alex couldn’t help it as she leaned in and gave Tobin a small kiss on her nose. 

“You are too cute sometimes,” she said.

Tobin wiggled her eyebrows, arms coming around to secure Alex in her lap, locking her fingers together on the small of Alex’ back. “Now that sounds familiar,” she said teasingly.

Alex laughed, throwing her arms around Tobin’s neck. “Right, well I actually had something I wanted to talk to you about but you’re cuteness distracted me and well…here we are.”

“I like here,” Tobin said, giving Alex a faux serious look. “Here is great. Let’s stay here forever.”

“Except we’re supposed to be down in the lobby in like 10 minutes to meet for dinner,” Alex pointed out.

Tobin pouted, which turned into a smile when Alex gave her a soft peck on the lips. Alex loved how they could move so seamlessly between moments like this—one moment they’re kissing, deeply and passionately, and the next they’re teasing each other with lighthearted banter and nose kisses.

“What did you want to ask me?” 

“Oh, just…I mean, it’s less of a question and more of an observation,” Alex said, leaning back slightly. “Something Lauren said to me earlier while you were telling Ash and Ali about our new apartment.”

“What did she say?” Tobin asked curiously.

“Just that she’s never seen you this excited about settling down and…well, this being an adventure that you’d never get tired of,” Alex said, reaching up to fidget with Tobin’s beanie. 

Tobin grinned, placing her hand on top of Alex’s to stop her fussing. “Lauren was right,” she said. “I am so excited to live together, Al.” She paused, taking on a more serious expression. “I know I’ve always described myself as a nomad—moving from place to place, never really having a home. But I really, really want to have one now.” She leaned in closer, resting her forehead against Alex’s once more. “With you.”

Alex knew all of this already, but hearing Tobin say it out loud—it was moments like this where she realized there was always a new level of happiness to be reached, a new layer of love to be discovered. She wasn’t exactly the religious type like Tobin, but she found herself throwing up a thank you to whatever higher being had brought Tobin into her life—whether it was soccer or God or fate, she would forever be thankful.

“I want to make a home with you too,” Alex said breathlessly, leaning in to give Tobin another soft kiss. 

When they broke apart, Alex stood and pulled Tobin up with her, linking their hands together as they exited the room to head down to the lobby.

They walked towards the elevator in silence, until Tobin spoke again.

“Can this home have actual snack foods?” Tobin asked, smirking at Alex. “Because I refuse to live somewhere where there are no poptarts.”

“Oh my god, I gave you that organic poptart _one time_ ”, Alex said exasperatedly. “It’s so much healthier for you.” 

“The whole point of a poptart is the sugary goodness!” Tobin exclaimed, swinging their joined hands. “Are you saying I’m not healthy?”

“No, I’m just saying that poptarts are not on the list of things you should be eating to stay in top training condition,” Alex pointed out.

“Umm, excuse me,” Tobin said, stepping into the elevator. “I am in perfect condition.” She lifted her shirt slightly to reveal her stomach. “Does it look like I need to lay off the poptarts?”

Alex grinned, stepping closer to Tobin and running her hands across her girlfriend’s hard, taut stomach, tracing the muscles. 

“Absolutely not,” she said, reveling in the feeling of Tobin’s abs under her hands.

Tobin winked at Alex, dropping her shirt. “That’s what I thought,” she responded, a teasing glint in her eye.

Sexy, flirty Tobin.

Another version to add to her list of favorite things about her girlfriend.

* *

“This is such bullshit.”

“Complete bullshit.”

“Utter bullshit.”

“A hoax!”

“A scandal!”

“An outrage!”

“A mockery of the very integrity of—”

“Will you three dumbasses sit down?” scowled Hope. “People are staring.”

“I don’t think they’re staring at those three,” Carli added. She gestured to the other person in the younger players’ group of four. “I think they’re staring at that.”

“It is a very impressive crown,” Amy admired.

Alex scowled at the forward, who was sitting down next to Tobin and Lauren. The team was gathered in the lobby, waiting for dinner to be ready in the assigned conference room of the hotel. Kelley and Sydney were standing next to her, the latter’s arms crossed giving off a petulant vibe as the former continued to pout at the offending item (which also meant scowling at the offending person wearing it).

“You’re only saying that because you decorated it,” Tobin added, joining the conversation.

“And I did a great job,” Amy replied. “I mean, before it was just a stupid tin foil crown and now look at it! It sparkles!”

Christen was standing with the group, the (newly made over, courtesy of ARod, some cardboard, Rylie’s pens and random buttons and glitter found in the child’s craft box—ARod making a new crown for the group after the old crown was the victim of Ryan’s afternoon snacks after she had run out of material to wrap his peanut butter and jelly sandwich in) Crown of Glory sitting atop her head.

“This is your fault,” Kelley said, glaring at Alex.

“How is this my fault?” Alex asked incredulously.

“I was just about to pass Syd. I had a plan! I had a green shell saved specifically for the right moment!” Kelley exclaimed, arms waving in the air to emphasize her point. 

“You would NOT have won with a green shell,” Sydney said. “You can’t aim those things.”

“Excuse you, I have impeccable aim! I had a plan,” Kelley repeated. “And I would have gotten away with it too if it wasn’t for—”

“You meddling kids?” Lauren asked, cutting Kelley off. The rest of the team laughed, much to the displeasure of the three younger players, all pouting.

“This is not a joke, Chen,” Syd scowled.

The team just laughed harder at the disgruntled looks on Sydney’s face until Abby took pity on the three girls.

“Aww, it’s ok guys. There’s always next year,” said Abby, standing up and slinging her arms around Sydney and Alex, pulling them closer. “And Press, that crown does look good on you. It’s nice to see it on someone other than these two knuckleheads.”

Christen grinned, the crown placed firmly on her head, (and looking way more cute than any grown ass women in a cardboard crown with the words Crown of Glory spelled in glitter around the sides should) sitting slightly lopsided. “Thanks,” she said. “These three were worthy opponents.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Kelley said, plopping down next to Hope, her arms still crossed and a pout remaining on her face. “Just you wait Press. I’m coming for you.”

Meanwhile, Tobin was staring at Alex (though this wasn’t really news—her eyes seemed to always be seeking out the forward, her girlfriend’s mere presence relaxing the midfielder and filling her with joy).

So much had changed in the past month.

She thought about the conversation she had earlier with Alex, and the way she assured her girlfriend that moving in together was something she absolutely wanted. And that was the truth, but only partially so—she wanted so much more. And living together was the first step on the way to more.

The midfielder kept thinking that there was no way she could be any happier than she was during a particular moment in time with girlfriend—on the pitch when Alex is leaping into her arms, strolling the streets of Canada with Alex’s hand in hers, lying on the bed, legs tangled and arms connected watching the food network, kissing (always kissing, Tobin can’t get enough of kissing Alex, it’s possibly one of her most favorite things to do ever)—but then something happens like this moment and she’s even filled to the brim with happiness. 

Tobin had never been in love before, had never experienced the overwhelming feelings that came with loving Alex, but she imagines that this is what love is—watching Alex argue with their friends about the rules involved in a ridiculous video game tournament where the winner wins an equally ridiculous prize (though Tobin does admit, she did feel good when she was wearing the crown, a bit more superior, up until the point Kelley smashed it while it was still on her head), Tobin once again proved herself wrong—she was happier in this moment than the one before.

And perhaps it was just that for every new moment, even the mundane ones like going over a to-do list (Alex has so much to do all the time, it’s kind of ridiculous, but Tobin has been getting away with getting Alex to relax and she kind of loves that she alone is that person for the chronically busy and in-demand forward), or reading in silence next to one another, or sitting on the airplane next to each other—it’s another moment that she and Alex spend together.

Tobin didn’t think it was possible for love to grow without people actively feeding it, didn’t even realize it was a thing. The idea of love she had constructed in her head assumed that people needed to constantly show their love in order for it to grow—hand holding, kisses on the cheek—constant affectionate gestures to demonstrate one’s love for another. And yes, Tobin and Alex do all of that—her heart never fails to flutter when Alex draws patterns on Tobin’s knee, or when she feels her girlfriend’s hand land on the small of Tobin’s back, or any type of contact with Alex, really. 

But the love that Tobin is experiencing with Alex is more than that, too.

The simple act of being with Alex is growing the love. And Tobin has come to realize that being with Alex doesn’t necessarily mean physically being in the presence of Alex (though Tobin would never object to spending more time with Alex). Just the mere thought of being in a relationship with her best friend has Tobin falling more in love everyday. 

Before, when they were only best friends (though Tobin has finally come to realize that there was never just an only with her and Alex, there was always something more, always going to be something more since the first day she was introduced to the young forward with the raspy voice, and perhaps Tobin, for all of her deep pondering and belief in faith and paths and journeys, always knew on some level that this girl would change her life forever, and so far she hasn’t been disappointed), Tobin couldn’t wait to tell Alex about something that happened, or listen to Alex telling Tobin about her day—just sharing anything she could with her best friend made the prospect of Tobin’s day that much better.

Now that they were a couple (Tobin still catches herself smiling wildly when she thinks about Alex Morgan being her girlfriend, because holy shit she landed _Alex freaking Morgan_ , which she is constantly teasing Alex about by quoting one magazine that proclaimed how lucky Tobin was to have “caught” Alex Morgan, and possibly one of her favorite things in the world is the routine they have developed around this because when Tobin says that, Alex responds with, _I’m the lucky one—I landed Tobin freaking Heath and anybody who says otherwise can fight me_ ), Tobin still looked forward to sharing everything with her best friend, but now they really can share _everything_. Alex was always Tobin’s biggest supporter, her biggest cheerleader, and the same was true when Alex needed Tobin. But now, Tobin and Alex had those conversations cuddled together on the bed or holding hands, which the occasional kiss during a pause in talking. The conversations could range from serious to downright silly, and there was always a deep seeded love present—something Tobin reveled in, and promised she would never take for granted because if she had the chance to spend the rest of her life growing her and Alex’s love and being happier every minute that passed (and everyday, it looked more and more that this was less of a dream and more of a possibility), Tobin would take it.

“Tobin?” she heard, and she looked up to see that her teammates were filing into the conference room, Alex standing in front of her. “Lost in thought again, huh?” Alex teased, placing her hand against Tobin’s face, rubbing her thumb across Tobin’s cheek. 

“Sorry,” Tobin said, grinning sheepishly.

“It’s alright babe,” Alex said, giving Tobin a kiss on the cheek. “Come on, I need you to sit next to me because you have to tell me all of your secrets to that stupid video game. That crown is mine. I need that crown.” Alex linked their hands together, leading Tobin across the lobby towards the dining room. “I mean, I know you said you don’t know any cheat codes but seriously nobody gets two blue shells on the same track, and I just think that if—”

“I’m going to marry you one day,” Tobin blurted out, her previous thoughts still lingering in her mind. 

Alex, never faltering in her steps towards the dining hall, just turned her head to look at her girlfriend. “Is that so?”

“Yes,” Tobin said firmly, leaning over to give Alex a kiss on the cheek. “I’m going to marry you one day,” she repeated.

“I know,” Alex said, grinning.

“Yeah?” Tobin asked, grinning. This was the type of effect Alex had on Tobin—most people would be freaked out after confessing their plans of marrying their significant other only a month into their official relationship, but she never had to worry about Alex being on the same page as her because she knew Alex and she loved Alex, and Alex was one of the few things Tobin was absolutely certain about in her life (and she knew, she just knew, that Alex felt the exact same way). 

“Yeah,” Alex agreed, pushing the door open. She paused slightly in the doorway, a teasing smile on her face. “And _I’m_ going to marry _you._ ”

“Promise?” Tobin asked, earnestly.

Alex turned so she was fully facing Tobin. “Promise,” she agreed. She pulled the door open, holding it for Tobin to walk through. “What do you think I’ve been texting our moms about so frequently? They’ve apparently got a scrapbook going for wedding ideas.”

Tobin laughed, giving Alex’s hand a squeeze. “I was starting to wonder why my phone has been suspiciously void of any upcoming nuptial plans,” she said, the two stepping up to the food line.

Alex snorted. “Like you actually check your phone,” she said, grabbing two plates and handing one to Tobin. 

The two filled their plates and Alex once against insisted that Tobin share with her the secret of her video game success, and Tobin didn’t have the heart to tell that it really was just luck (I mean seriously, who gets two blue shells on the same track, it’s unheard of). 

But nevertheless, Tobin joined in on the conversation with Alex and all of their friends anyways, as Kelley, Alex, Sydney and Christen went over new rules for the next tournament. Sitting back, Tobin caught Alex’s eye and smiled at the wink her girlfriend sent her way, reveling in the happiness that engulfed her.


	16. Chapter 16

Alex found Abby first.

Tears streaming down her face, Alex clung to Abby, her arms and legs wrapped around the older woman, both of them smiling and laughing. 

All around them their teammates were screaming, shouting, celebrating.

They had done it. 

After 16 years, their team—the 35ers—ended the drought. They were bringing the trophy back to the U.S.

Alex couldn’t help the tears streaming down her face as Abby clung to her just as tightly, yelling I love you’s and I’m proud of you’s and everything else that Alex was used to from her mentor (and yet in that moment, it felt like so much more, held so much weight—they were world champions—they did it, they did it, they did it).

Alex finally loosened her hold, jumping back down to the ground. Abby placed her hand on the young forward’s head, gave her a grin and one more, “I love you,” and Abby was off, racing towards her wife as Alex smiled and watched. 

“Alex! We fucking did it!” she heard, and felt a weight on her back as Sydney and Kelley wrapped their arms around her from behind. “World champions!”

Alex joined her two friends, jumping up and down and screaming at the top of her lungs. 

Winners.

Champions.

They had done it.

Alex felt high on the adrenaline running through her body, and she knew she wasn’t alone in her feelings as her teammates—her family—were running around, all screaming and cheering, laughing and smiling and crying.

“Alex!” she heard, and whipped her head around to see Tobin running towards her, Amy and Lauren right behind the midfielder. “Dude! Alex!”

Alex opened her arms, bracing herself as her girlfriend came flying into her arms, and then they were a pile of limbs as Lauren and Amy joined in on the hug, Kelley and Sydney latching onto the pile as well. 

Alex didn’t think she had ever been happier. 

After more screaming and laughing, Alex felt her teammates release their grip until it was just her and Tobin, wrapped together.

“Tobs,” Alex breathed out, seeing her girlfriend’s eyes shining with tears and the smile she loves taking over the midfielder’s face. “We did it.”

Tobin laughed, burying her face in Alex’s neck. “Yeah,” Alex heard Tobin choke out between her laughter and tears. “Yeah, we did it, Al.”

Alex leaned back, loosening her grip on her girlfriend. “I love you,” she said, heart bursting with love and happiness as she stared into the shining brown eyes of her favorite person. In the back of her mind she was very conscious of the cameras broadcasting this moment around the world, but she didn’t really care—Alex needed to kiss Tobin.

And so she did.

Tobin responded immediately, hands dropping to Alex’s waist and pulling her in closer. 

Alex’s lips moved against Tobin’s, the overwhelming urge to kiss her girlfriend finally satisfied (though Alex didn’t think she would ever be satisfied, not really, because she could kiss Tobin forever). 

Alex broke away when oxygen became a problem, and she grinned at the dazed look on Tobin’s face. 

Tobin opened her mouth to say something when she was jerked backwards, a different set of arms wrapping around her. Alex grinned at Whitney and Ashlyn, clinging onto Tobin’s back. She couldn’t help but laugh at the smirk on Ashlyn’s face. Alex took a step back as HAO and Lori joined in from the other side, and she shot Tobin a wink before her girlfriend’s face disappeared from view when Kling literally jumped onto the group, all of them screaming and shouting. 

“Baby Horse!” she heard, and turned around again just in time to be swallowed up into Megan’s arms. Alex returned the hug happily. She laughed again when Pinoe moved on to Moe, jumping into the young players arms. 

Alex turned and spotted Hope, and she ran to the goalkeeper, giving her a tight hug and exchanging words of happiness and encouragement, before moving on to the rest of their teammates.

Today was a culmination of everything they’ve ever done.

All of the hard work.

All of the dedication.

All of the blood, sweat, tears.

The missed birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, and more.

It was all worth it. 

Because today they are World Champions. 

And they always would be. 

The 35ers—they would always be represented by that third star. 

Alex found herself once again in the arms of her mentor, the person she looked up to both in soccer and in life, the person who she is proud to call one of her best friends. 

“I’m so proud of you, Al,” Abby said, wrapping Alex up in a hug once more. Alex smiled, tears shining in her eyes at the emotion on Abby’s face.

“I’m proud of you,” Alex responded right back. Abby gave a slight shake of her head, and took a step back, draping the American flag she had been holding in her hands around Alex’s shoulders. 

For some reason Alex felt nostalgic at the gesture, even though it was happening to her in the moment. Maybe because she knew this was one of the last times she would ever see Abby on this stage, but she wrapped the flag around her shoulders a little tighter and rested her head on Abby’s shoulders. “Thank you,” Alex said, feeling the words were insufficient but knowing that Abby would know what she meant—Abby always knew what Alex was trying to say.

Abby simply nodded, though her hold tightened around the young forward. The older player slung her arm around Alex’s shoulder, and the two of them walked towards where the rest of the team was gathering, getting ready for the trophy presentation. 

The two separated as Abby went to stand with Christie, Shannon, Hope and Carli. Alex ran up and jumped on Ashlyn’s back, squealing as the goalkeeper leaned forward, tipping Alex with her. Ali watched on, amusement shining in her eyes. Ashlyn let Alex down and she was immediately engulfed in a hug from behind. She spun around and pulled Christen into a proper hug, the grin on her face a permanent fixture ever since that final whistle blew. 

She spotted Tobin in a huddle with Lauren and Amy, smiling at the laughter she heard from her girlfriend. 

“So that was some kiss, Lex,” Ashlyn drawled, gaining Alex’s attention.

“I’d say front page worthy,” Ali added, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Maybe even centerfold,” Kelley gasped from behind them.

“Definitely frame worthy,” Sydney chimed in.

“Very picturesque,” Christen agreed, nodding her head.

Alex couldn’t even form a scowl on her face even if she wanted to. “You guys are the worst,” she said, smiling happily.

“Who’s the worst?” she heard from behind, and turned around to see Tobin smiling at her, Lauren and Amy besides the midfielder.

“Everyone except you,” Alex said, wrapping her arm around Tobin’s waist as her girlfriend’s arm rested around the forward’s shoulders. 

Tobin chuckled, ignoring Amy and Lauren’s protests (we just got here, Amy and Lauren had whined, to which Tobin just rolled her eyes).

Tobin ducked her head a bit to whisper to Alex, and the forward giggled at Tobin’s breath on her ear. “I love you too,” Tobin said.

Alex swore she could feel her heart skipping a beat, knowing that she would never get tired of hearing those words from Tobin. Perhaps one of the best things about hearing them was the fact that Alex never said it with the expectation that she would hear it back—no, that wasn’t why. Alex says it because she feels an overwhelming amount of love for the girl currently holding her, and she just can’t help it—she needs to say it. And the greatest thing about that is that she doesn’t _need_ to hold it in anymore, so every time Tobin gives Alex the last piece of the chocolate bar, or sits through a marathon of Say Yes to the Dress with her, or leaves her a post it stuck to her boots that makes her smile before a game, Alex can tell Tobin those three words. 

And even though Alex doesn’t do it expecting a response, she always gets one anyways (and dammit if it doesn’t make Alex’s heart flutter every single time she hears Tobin say those words).

Alex is startled out of her thoughts by a soft kiss on her cheek, and she turns to smile at Tobin, who is already grinning at her.

“Ready to go get our trophy, champ?” Tobin asked, leading Alex to the line her teammates were forming in preparation for the ceremony.

Alex simply continued grinning, reaching down to intertwine her fingers with Tobin’s. She feels someone hold her other hand, and turns to find Kelley on her other side. All around her, their teammates are holding hands, the anticipation of finally hoisting that coveted trophy running through their veins. Alex looks all around her—at her girlfriend, at her teammates, at her family—and knows in her heart of hearts that _this_ moment, this is the happiest she’s ever been. Surrounded by the people she loves, achieving her greatest dream.

* *

“NOOOO TIME FOR LOOOOSERS CUZ WEEEEE ARE THE CHAMPIOOOOOONS…”

Tobin grinned and locked eyes with Kelley who was seated across from her. “OF THE WOOOOORLD!” the team sang together (though it was really more like shouting at this point, the alcohol had begun flowing immediately and there was a permanent grin on each of the faces of the twenty-three players).

The team was taking a break from dancing on the stage and someone had started an impromptu round of more singing (Tobin suspects it was Amy and Pinoe who started it up again, not that she’s complaining). Tobin was sitting at a table, and despite having played an entire game, was yet to feel tired. The high of winning the World Cup was still flowing through her veins, and the only reason she was sitting still is because of the girl currently seated on her lap. She wrapped her arms a little tighter around Alex and grinned at the pure happiness that was radiating from her girlfriend as she laughed and celebrated with the rest of their teammates.

“Guess what,” Alex said, turning slightly to face Tobin and resting her forehead against her girlfriend’s.

“What,” Tobin responded, giving Alex a quick kiss on the nose. 

Giggling, Alex wrapped her arms around Tobin’s neck and pulled her into a kiss, one Tobin eagerly responded to. 

Kissing Alex Morgan would never get old. 

She was sure of it. 

Tobin kissed her harder, her senses tingling as she rapidly fell further and deeper for the girl in her arms. Tobin pulled Alex as close as she could, their lips molding together, as Tobin moved one hand to the small of her back and the other threading through Alex’s hair. God, Tobin loved this girl.

Alex leaned back, opening her mouth to say something but Tobin wasn’t done—she wanted more, needed more. She kissed Alex again, more slowly this time, but just as passionately. She felt like an electric current was running through her body.

“Get a room!” she heard Kelley and Sydney yell together.

Grinning, she pulled back without loosening her hold on Alex. She chuckled at the breathless look on her girlfriend’s face, cheeks flushed and eyes glistening. She gave Alex one more kiss, and felt her girlfriend smile against her mouth. 

Tobin would never tire of the feelings she got when she kissed Alex. The feeling she got not only when she kissed Alex, but when she touched her. When Tobin held her hand, when she gave her girlfriend a hug, even when she simply brushed that one piece of hair back behind Alex’s ear, it felt like an electric current was flowing through her body. Tobin had only ever felt that kind of exhilaration on the pitch before, never actually knowing that the unbridled joy she felt playing soccer could ever be matched anywhere else. But being with Alex brought her just as much—probably even more, and her heart felt full.

“So, about that room…” Alex said, smirking at Tobin. 

Tobin raised her eyebrows questioningly, and Alex leaned closer.

“Kelley has agreed to sleep elsewhere tonight,” she whispered hotly against Tobin’s ear. Tobin’s breathe hitched as she felt Alex nibble lightly on her earlobe, followed by a kiss just underneath her ear. “And the World Cup is officially over,” she continued, dropping kisses against Tobin’s neck.

Tobin cleared her throat, attempting to stop the blush she was certain was covering her face. “Lex,” she said, though it came out a little choked.

“Hmmm,” Alex hummed against Tobin’s neck, and Tobin almost lost it when she felt Alex lightly bite the pulse point on her neck before sucking gently. 

“Ahh-hem,” Tobin coughed out, and she pushed Alex off of her lap to the chair next to her before hopping to her feet. She looked down to see a smirk on her girlfriend’s face, and she quickly grabbed Alex’s hand and hauled the forward to her feet as well. “I’d say we’ve done enough team celebrating, yeah? Yeah. Come on Al,” Tobin said quickly, dragging Alex away from the table towards the exit.

“Be ready in like, five hours for interviews!” Abby called from behind them, and Tobin nodded quickly without slowing down. She turned her head to see Alex laughing as Tobin pulled her along, across the dance floor and away from their laughing teammates before finally reaching the exit. Tobin pushed the door open and hustled down the hallway to the elevator, impatiently pressing the button.

“You know, pressing it repeatedly won’t make it come any faster,” Alex said, pulling Tobin closer to her. She placed a light kiss on the corner of Tobin’s mouth, and Tobin almost actually dropped to the floor because of how weak her knees felt.

The telltale ding of the elevator signaled it’s arrival, and Tobin quickly pulled Alex into the elevator before pressing the button for Alex’s floor and hitting the door close button. She reached out with her free hand and pulled on Alex’s arm. Alex yelped as she lost her balance and was suddenly toe-to-toe with her girlfriend. Tobin smirked and reached down, wrapping her hands behind Alex’s thighs and lifting up. Her girlfriend wrapped her legs around the midfielder, and Tobin spun them around so Alex was pressed against the elevator wall.

“You’re driving me crazy, babe,” Tobin whispered, leaning down and dropping kisses against Alex’s neck.

Alex moaned at Tobin’s ministrations.

“You—” Alex began, before she was cut off as Tobin brought her mouth to Alex’s. Tobin felt more than heard Alex moan into the kiss, and she darted her tongue out, eagerly explored the familiar space. Tobin’s lungs were screaming for oxygen, but she prolonged the kiss as long as she could. They broke apart, both gasping. Tobin peppered soft kisses all over Alex’s face, as Alex attempted to catch her breathe.

“You…called me babe,” Alex said finally, grinning.

Tobin shrugged. “Yeah, well,” she responded, giving a grin of her own. The elevator dinged again, and finally they were on Alex’s floor. Tobin released Alex and the forward grabbed Tobin’s hand, this time doing the dragging as she led Tobin down the hall until they reached the room. Tobin wrapped her arms around Alex from behind, leaving lingering kisses along Alex’s neck as her girlfriend tried to open the hotel door. 

“Babe,” Alex breathed out, craning her neck in an attempt to give Tobin more access. “I can’t—you’re—”

“What is it, Al?” Tobin breathed into Alex’s ear, returning the favor from before as she nibbled lightly on Alex’s earlobe before sucking gently. 

“The door…I can’t—” Alex struggled to get out. “Oh, god,” she moaned as Tobin’s hands crept under Alex’s shirt, caressing the skin just above the forward’s jeans.

Finally, Alex got the door open with a celebratory “Ah-ha!”, and the two of them stumbled into the room before Tobin found herself trapped against the closed door, Alex’s twinkling eyes growing darker in front of her. 

“This seems familiar,” Tobin said, wrapping her arms around Alex’s waist.

Alex winked and Tobin once again reached down, lifting Alex until her girlfriend’s arms and legs were wrapped around her. She moaned as Alex kissed the sensitive spot below her ear again. “Except this time we don’t have to stop,” she heard her girlfriend whisper, and Tobin bit her lip, groaning, as Alex continued her ministrations on Tobin’s neck. 

Gathering her strength, Tobin tightened her grip around Alex and lifted her up higher. The forward let out a yelp, followed by laughter as Tobin wiggled her eyebrows at her girlfriend and walked them towards the bed.

* *

“Here you go, babe.”

Tobin covered her mouth as she yawned again, before looking up at Alex with blurry eyes. She took the offered cup of coffee and gladly accepted the kiss Alex gave on her cheek. “Thanks dude,” she said, moving her legs a bit so Alex could get to her seat next to the window.

The team had piled onto the bus, all of them uncharacteristically quiet after only having one or two hours of sleep each.

She felt Alex’s head resting on her shoulder and she brought her arm up, wrapping it around her girlfriend’s shoulders, pulling Alex in closer to her side. Humming, she dropped a kiss on the top of Alex’s head before taking a sip of her drink.

“Long night Tobito?” she heard from behind her, and craned her head to see Ashlyn’s smirking face hanging over their seats from behind.

“Didn’t we all?” asked Tobin, smiling as she felt Alex shift, the forward’s steady breathe puffing on Tobin’s neck.

“Well some more than others,” Ashlyn replied, feigning nonchalance. 

“Shut up,” Tobin said, though she couldn’t help the smile that appeared on her face as she thought about the night before, and the step forward Alex and her had taken in their relationship.

Ali’s head popped up next to Ashlyn’s. “Ash, leave her alone,” Ali scolded, though she had a smirk on her face as well. 

“Did you get ANY sleep?” Kelley added, and Tobin turned to see her leaning from her seat across the aisle.

“We got an hour, like everyone else,” Tobin said, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly despite trying to put a scowl on her face.

“Are you sure? Because Baby Horse is like, KO’ed right now,” Amy chimed in, her and Lauren’s heads popping up from their seats in front of them.

“Could everybody just like, not?” Tobin asked. 

“Just tell us Toby,” Kelley whined.

“Yeah, tell us,” Ashlyn added.

“Tobin, just tell them that we had sex several times and then fell asleep so they’ll be quiet,” Alex suddenly grumbled, her voice slightly muffled as she nuzzled her head into Tobin’s shoulder. 

Tobin immediately turned red, her mouth open, gaping at her girlfriend.

“Alex,” she whispered fiercely, as their teammates around them erupted in hollers and whistles, the rest of the bus joining in despite not knowing why (and seriously, their team was the best but sometimes they were the _worst_ , Tobin thought).

Alex didn’t respond, though Tobin did feel the forward smile against her neck and a few seconds later, felt her girlfriend shaking with laughter. Tobin shook her head, but couldn’t help the smile that took over her face.

“Get it, Toby!” Kelley yelled, while Ashlyn started singing that damn Ginuwine song again. Naturally, the whole team joined in.

Tobin felt Alex sigh before her girlfriend sat up in her seat, rubbing her eyes. “Obviously I’m not getting anymore sleep. You guys are the worst,” she grumbled.

“Should have slept more last night instead of doing the dirty with your girlfriend,” Kelley quipped back. 

Tobin burst out laughing, and soon their friends joined in.

Tobin sighed, soaking in the comments and horrible singing of her teammates around her, Alex tucked under her arm, and relaxed back into her seat.

“You guys really are the worst,” she said happily.

Their only response was to sing louder.


	17. Chapter 17

“So Kell has agreed to take the couch so that Ashlyn and Ali can take the guest room, and Lauren and Amy are still staying at the hotel KC has booked for them,” Alex said, nodding as she pulled the sheets up before folding them down.

Tobin and Alex were standing in the guest room, making the bed (well, Alex was making the bed, and Tobin was sitting on the chair in the corner of the room, trying to see how many nerf darts she could get to stick to the mirror on the closet).

“Kell agreed to sleep on the couch?” Tobin asked, firing another nerf dart. “Yes!” she hissed, fist pumping as another one stuck.

Alex threw the comforter on the bed before turning towards her girlfriend, ready to reprimand her for not helping but softened at the sight of Tobin, tongue sticking slightly out, one of her eyes closed as she aimed at the mirror.

Sighing, Alex closed the distance between them before plopping on to Tobin’s lap, snatching the nerf gun out of Tobin’s hand. 

“Hey!” Tobin said, her complaint quickly swallowed as Alex placed one hand on the back of Tobin’s neck and the other on her face, connecting their lips.

Alex grinned into the kiss, feeling Tobin respond immediately and gave a mental high five to herself for being more enticing than a nerf gun (which is admittedly sad, but Tobin seriously had a short attention span). She felt Tobin’s arms wrap around her waist, and she shifted so she was straddling the midfielder, kissing the corner of Tobin’s mouth before moving along her jaw, dropping kisses along the way. 

“Lex,” Tobin moaned out as Alex kissed the sensitive spot below her girlfriend’s ear. Alex pulled back to see Tobin’s eyes closed, breath heavy. She smiled before connecting their lips once more, nibbling lightly on Tobin’s bottom lip. She felt Tobin’s tongue come out and opened her mouth immediately, their tongues tangling. Tobin kissed Alex with a renewed vigor, her hands tightening on Alex’s waist. 

Alex let out a squeal as Tobin suddenly stood up, and she wrapped her legs around the midfielder’s waist. 

Tobin carried them out of the room and down the hall, never pausing in her kisses along Alex’s neck.

“Tobin,” Alex moaned out. “Have to…finish…bed…” she groaned out, her back slamming into the wall next to their bedroom door. She felt Tobin’s hands fumbling behind her, before the door swung open and she was carried to the edge of their bed.

“I’ll do it later,” Tobin breathed out against Alex’s mouth, depositing her on their bed before crawling on top of Alex. Their lips molded together as Tobin’s hands crept underneath Alex’s shirt.

“Ok,” Alex said, breath hitching as Tobin’s head dipped lower, kissing up Alex’s stomach. “Later,” she agreed.

* *

“Say it.”

“…”

“SAY IT.”

“NO.”

“SAAAAY ITTTT.”

“…”

“What was that?” Tobin asked, cupping her ear. She gave Kelley a shit-eating grin as she leaned closer to her friend.

Kelley and Tobin were sitting across from each other at Alex and Tobin’s dining room table. Ashlyn, Ali and Kelley had come over for dinner at the couple’s apartment after watching their teammates play in the NWSL championship. Ashlyn, Ali and Kelley were staying with Alex and Tobin for an extra day, excited to check out the apartment their friends had moved into. 

“I was wrong, ok!” Kelley growled out, aggressively stabbing the chicken on her plate with her fork. “You CAN cook.”

“Told you! The magic is in the breakfast bar!” Tobin said, fist pumping. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Kelley said. “This meal is good, but as I didn’t actually SEE you make it, so I’m like seventy percent certain you still can’t cook.”

Tobin opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off as Alex held out her cup and stared at her girlfriend. 

The two stared at each other, neither blinking, until Tobin sighed and stood up, grabbing the cup before heading to the kitchen. Ashlyn laughed before she abruptly stopped, rolling her eyes as she too grabbed Ali’s offered cup and joined Tobin in the kitchen to refill her girlfriend’s drink. 

Alex watched her girlfriend walk away, only jostled out of her thoughts when Ali nudged her arm.

“So, how’s living together?” Ali asked. “Seems like everything is going really well.”

Alex smiled. “It’s really good,” she replied. “I don’t think we realized exactly how big of a commitment living together was at first? Like, we’re around each other twenty four seven.” She shook her head, thinking about meals together, carpooling to practice, laundry mixed together. “But I love it.”

When they had first moved in together, the largest adjustment was actually sharing one bedroom. Before when they lived together, they each had their own space, and having to adjust was a bit of a struggle at first. Alex couldn’t even count the amount of times she slipped on Tobin’s long board until she had just taken a nail and hammer to the wall herself, installing a large hook for Tobin to hang the board where her girlfriend could still see it at all times (because apparently that was a thing, Alex had found out, after she had stuffed the board in the closet in the hallway and it took two boxes of Tobin’s favorite pop tarts and a promise to watch several episodes of shark week with Tobin before her girlfriend stopped being mad at her). And Alex had also never shared a closet with anyone, and she found herself often reorganizing Tobin’s half because her girlfriend had a tendency to not hang anything up. But the rest had come pretty natural to them, having shared a living space before as friends.

Yes, Alex had to adjust to some things when it came to living with Tobin, but most of them were positives—now that they shared a bathroom, Tobin was always leaving Alex notes on the mirror that had Alex smiling and laughing after she stepped out of the shower. She also relished the days they got to sleep in late, cuddled up in their bed as Tobin worked on a crossword puzzle, Alex occasionally chiming in. And on days when Tobin woke up before Alex (mostly on the days Tobin would long board around the streets of Portland before the rest of the world woke up), she would wake up to Tobin bringing her coffee and a pastry in bed, something Alex quickly learned to look forward to at least twice a week.

“That’s great, Al,” Ali said, startling Alex out of her thoughts.

“Ugh, you couples and your disgusting domesticity,” Kelley said, though there was a smile on her face as she said it. She stood up, grabbing her plate and cup, as Tobin and Ashlyn returned to the table, placing the drinks in front of their respective girlfriends. “I’m going to place my OWN dishes in the sink, and get my OWN drink since my imaginary significant other not here to do so.”

The couples chuckled before moving to the living room, sitting on the L-shaped couch and talking about the final game they had just watched earlier. 

“TOBIN! YOU LIAR! THEIR ARE TAKE OUT BOXES IN THE TRASH!”

“Dude!” Tobin whined, whipping her head around to look at Alex, who was laughing along with everyone else. “You said you would take care of the containers!”

“I put them in the trash!” Alex defended, though her argument was lost between her laughter.

“Well that’s the last time I ever ask you to do something important,” Tobin grumbled, crossing her arms and leaning back into the couch with a huff.

Tobin’s response just made Alex and everyone else laugh harder.

“Babe, you are too cute,” Alex giggled, shaking her head. She got up and settled herself in Tobin’s lap, the midfielder’s arms wrapping around the forward’s waist almost automatically, as if it was second nature (which it was, because Alex’s favorite seat was Tobin’s lap, and Tobin loved to be close to Alex always, forever).

“Yeah, yeah,” Tobin said, but was having a hard time holding her scowl. The corners of her mouth turned up as Alex leaned in and gave her a peck on the corner of her mouth. 

“Love you,” Alex whispered, smiling.

The words cracked Tobin’s façade, and she grinned back at her girlfriend. “Love you too,” she replied.

Alex gave her girlfriend a quick kiss and a wink before moving off of her lap, sitting down next to her.

“I knew it!” Kelley yelled, coming back from the kitchen and plopping down on the couch, upper half of her body resting on Alex’s lap while her legs landed on Tobin’s. Ignoring her friend’s cries of protests, Kelley continued on. “I freaking knew you didn’t cook that chicken. It was way too good.” 

Alex shook her head as she listened to Kelley and Tobin bicker, Ashlyn and Ali giggling in the background. She sighed, leaning back into the couch and threading her fingers through Kelley’s hair, her friend’s head resting in her lap.

This was her life.

And she wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

* *

“So why aren’t you out there showing off your fancy foot skills?” Amy asked, gesturing to the field where Kelley and Alex were attempting to score on Ali and Ashlyn. 

The friends were all at the park, Lauren and Amy meeting them the day after the championship game, having spent the night at the hotel after KC’s big win. The two had also decided to stay a day in Portland to check out their fellow New Kid’s apartment, but mostly because it was Lauren’s last NWSL game and the three wanted to spend some time together.

“Because I wanted to spend some quality time with you guys?” Tobin said, though it came out as more of a question.

Lauren snorted. “Tobs, you have never said that. Ever,” she said. “Now spill.”

The three sat in silence, the occasional chuckle shared between them as Ashlyn’s insults became more creative after Kelley failed to score again.

“I bought a ring,” Tobin blurted out.

She felt her friends’ heads whip around to stare at her, and she bit her bottom lip, nervous under the scrutiny.

“You—” “What—”

Amy and Lauren started to talk at the same time, both abruptly stopping as Tobin held her hand up.

“I bought a ring,” she repeated, a bit calmer when she took in the identical growing smiles on her best friend’s faces. “An engagement ring,” she continued, as if it wasn’t obvious what she was talking about. 

Amy squealed, and Lauren slapped Tobin on the arm.

“Ow! What?” Tobin asked, rubbing her arm and leaning away from her friend.

“This is so exciting!” Amy yelled, clapping her hands together. “Our little Tobito, getting married!”

“Well I haven’t actually asked her yet—”

“You’re getting married!” Lauren said, eyes glistening, and wrapped her arms around Tobin.

“Well like I said, we’re not even engaged yet and—”

She was cut off as Amy tackled them, the three of them ending up in a pile on the ground, Tobin on the bottom.

“Umm…ow?” Tobin groaned. “Can the two of you please get off?”

“Only if you show us the ring,” Amy declared, though she did scramble off of them and sat back down.

Lauren followed suit, nodding her head. “Not that we don’t trust your taste Tobin, but it’s like best friend handbook that you have to show said best friend’s before giving the ring to the girl.”

Tobin rolled her eyes, dusting off the grass that was on her shirt. “I don’t have it on me. It’s in our apartment,” Tobin said. She held her hand up before Amy and Lauren could protest. “I’ll show it to you before we go to dinner.” She shrugged her shoulders, looking at her friends. “Besides, Jen and Jeri helped me pick one out,” she mumbled, fiddling with the bottom of her shirt. 

“Tobin Powell Heath,” Amy began, smiling.

“You are so freaking adorable,” Lauren finished, also smiling. “And we’re so happy for you.”

“Getting married!” Amy squealed again. 

“Once again, we’re not actually engaged yet,” Tobin said, exasperated, though she was grinning from ear to ear, her heart full as her friends’ genuine happiness for Tobin became infectious. “I haven’t asked her yet.”

“When are you going to ask?” Lauren asked, Amy nodding her head in agreement.

“I was thinking…during the victory tour?” Tobin asked hesitantly, unconsciously seeking confirmation. “I know it would really mean a lot to Alex if Abby was there, and I want you to be there, Chen,” she said, smiling as Lauren placed her hand on top of hers.

“That’s soon!” Amy said, clapping her hands again excitedly. “How are you planning on doing it?”

Tobin thought about it, smiling. She knew she definitely wanted to propose on a soccer field. While some people might thought it was too soon to propose, Tobin knew in her heart that it was right. Her and Alex were always meant to be together—she knew it subconsciously that first day when she had met the blue-eyed forward with the raspy voice, and she knew it for sure the first time they had kissed all those months ago in Canada. 

She knows it in the moments they spend cuddling on the couch, taking turns throwing popcorn into the others mouth, or when Alex returns from the grocery store with Tobin’s favorite pop tarts despite Alex’s comments about the snacks being bad for Tobin, or when she saw Alex hang her Cal banner in their living room and didn’t complain once (ok, maybe she did once or twice, but habits die hard and it’s still hanging up on the wall), or how her heart skips a beat every time she sees Alex wearing Tobin’s favorite hoodie. 

In the domestic moments—the big ones like when they went furniture shopping for their new place, and Tobin didn’t feel trapped but rather elated, because she was putting down roots with the girl she loves, or in the small ones like driving to and from practice together. 

She gets to spend every single day with Alex, and she thanks God and soccer and most of all Alex Morgan for the fact that she gets to love this girl. 

And Tobin is equally as thankful for the fact that Alex Morgan loves her back.

“Tobs?” Lauren asked, nudging Tobin a bit and knocking her out of her reverie.

Tobin opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by a whoop from Alex.

The three turned their attention back to the field, where Alex and Kelley were running around in circles with their arms out, the ball in the net. Alex had apparently gotten the ball past Ashlyn and had scored, ending the two on two game. 

“Whooo! Can’t touch this!” Alex yelled, high fiving Kelley who had joined her. She broke out into a dance that Kelley immediately joined in on, the two of them circling around Ali until she eventually joined in as well. One well placed look from Ali had Ashlyn coming out of the goal, joining the three until they were all dancing around the field, laughing.

Tobin grinned, laughter escaping her as she watched her girlfriend attempt (and fail) to moonwalk. 

“Tobs! Get out here and dance with me!” Alex yelled, her eyes glistening in the sunlight.

Tobin shook her head, but nonetheless stood up. She faced Lauren and Amy before looking over her shoulder at Alex, smiling wide.

“I’m going to marry the shit out of that woman,” Tobin said, sighing happily. She jogged out to midfield and was met with a quick kiss from Alex, before she was forced to participate in the wave, Lauren and Amy joining in on the end of the impromptu dance train.

Surrounded by her friends and Alex—her girlfriend (hopefully soon to be fiancé), her favorite person, her everything—sometimes Tobin forgets how truly lucky she is that she fell in love with her best friend.


End file.
